Dreaming of the Skies
by coldstone4815
Summary: They were falling apart. Bit by bit, inch by inch, everybody was starting to tear down any friendship they ever showed towards each other. But he had a plan that would (hopefully) bring them back together. And, Notch, would they be angry at him for it.
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1 - Prologue**

They were falling apart.

Piece by piece, string by string, everybody's sturdy rope of friendship was being unwound and frayed.

Sometimes some of them would go _days _without talking to each other, silently brooding from a recent argument. They had all known each other for years, so it shouldn't have been happening.

But Seto had noticed it just after it had began. He had seen the little shove Sky had given Mitch, shouldering past him with an air of icy anger. And then there was the time Bodil had scowled at Simon, orange eyes narrowing at the back of the other angel's head.

Jordan had glared at Ryan and there had actually been a dim flash of lightning in the clouds.

Ty had clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists when Jerome had playfully pushed him to the side.

Husky had nearly thrown a squid at Sky the other day, too.

Kermit had just up and left after an argument.

It was just the little things-the things nobody ever really noticed unless they looked for them. But Seto did. He watched, hanging at the back of any group he was with. Slowly, he developed a plan.

Seto didn't want to have his friends rip themselves apart. He wouldn't take it. They had known each other for too long to do this.

So he spent days devising his plan, working out the links and the loopholes. He worked himself to exhaustion, staying up at nights and sleeping lightly in the middle of the day.

But it was slowly building itself up. There was only a week left of planning before he could finally enact it.

And, Notch, would they be angry at him for it.

**So guys. Here's a new side story thing that I'm doing this month for NaNoWriMo (National-Novel-Writing-Month) I need to reach the goal of 30,000 words (I'll be able to do it.) It means 1,000 words a day. And this, this little thing that my cousin, TheWitherQueen, talked me into doing, is my plot. You guys will have to go to her/my deviantART for later chapters (link's in my profile), but right now you don't need to.**

**This is set in the world of _Miles & Inches_, with all the cannons (sans any pairings (*cough*SparkAnt*cough*) and everything. Yes, this means Nitram, Breakfast, Snowy, Solari, Agnus, etc. So... yeah.**

**Let's hope I get this done. Last time I did NaNoWriMo, I just barely made my goal(15,000(I started too late to do anything more)) and this time, I plan to make it. Yes, this might mean a slowing down of _Miles & Inches_, and it wasn't as if _Wizard Revamped_ isn't slow enough already. (I'll get to it, I promise. A bit busy at the moment.) So hope for the best, prepare for the worst.**

**Thanks for reading, guys. I hope this turns out good. And I hope you people enjoyed. Leave a review, tell me what you think. I'll go edit the second chapter (already have it written) and that'll be up later today. Thanks for being awesome, stay that way.**

**-Cold**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - A Wonderful Afternoon**

There was a gentle but loud tapping on the side of the house. Seto groaned slightly and opened an eye, blearily raising a hand and muttering a spell. Purple wisps formed and declared the time: 12:56 PM. He blinked and sniffed, arm dropping down. His fingers brushed the wooden floor for a moment and he sighed, burying his nose in the corner of the couch.

The tapping paused. After a moment, an ear-splitting roar sounded and he jumped, falling off the couch and onto the floor. Cursing, Seto stood and staggered over to the door, swinging it open and glaring up at the Ender dragon sitting in front if his house.

"I'm trying to sleep, dang it! Leave me alone!" he shouted up.

The dragon's slips curved into a smug grin. _**"Good afternoon to you, too Father."**_

Seto sighed and shook his head, walking out of the house and over to her foreleg, wrapping his arms around it in a hug. "Good afternoon, Agnus. Anything new?"

She nodded slightly and said, _**"Yes. Jordan snapped at his batman friend when he got too close to Snowy. I think he is okay, but Jordan just left."**_

"What do you mean 'okay'?" Seto asked, suddenly worried. Agnus' nose twitched slightly and her forked tongue flicked over one of the large fangs poking out of her upper lip. She had grown to maturity over the past year and now she was at least twice the size of his house.

_**"Jordan just put up a show. Made a storm, made lightning, made thunder, created a slight hail storm. I can see it from here; he must be really worked up to have kept it going."**_

Seto followed her gaze, kicking up a chunk of dirt and floating up to her height. "Oh," he muttered, brown eyes widening at the raging storm over the city. "Did you try to talk to him?"

_**"No. He stormed off, taking Snowy with him."**_

Seto nodded and sighed, stepping off the dirt and into one of her sub-horns. He held onto another one as she took to the air. "Well, I'm almost finished," he said over the wind, "I just need a few more things."

_**"The hair?"**_

Seto nodded and patted the dark scales of her cheek. "Yep. Let's skip Jordan for now, but we can go see Ty and the others."

Agnus huffed and angled her wings, swooping to the left and heading to the left of the city.

[...]

"I can get home by myself," Seto said, rubbing a hand over the soft scales of Agnus' nose. "Go on home."

She smiled at him and unfurled her black and purple wings._**"Stay safe,"** _she said, giving him an affectionate nudge that nearly knocked him off his feet. He chuckled and nodded, taking a few steps back as she jumped into the air.

He watched her shrink until he couldn't see her, then turned and started walking down the well-worn path. "Ty!" he called, hoping that maybe his friend was outside at the moment.

Seto sighed and kept walking, glancing around the woods. The house Ty lived in was a secluded one, tucked away with a few other houses. Seto walked out of the woods, glancing around and nearly smacking himself when he saw the pothole-littered road running down the small neighborhood.

"I could have brought Agnus with me," he muttered. The road was big enough for her to land in and he contemplated on calling her back, but decided against it. She would be able to find him if she needed to.

And suddenly he heard the shouting. Seto froze and whipped around to one tan house, pausing for only a moment before bolting to the familiar voices of Ty and Jason.

He ran up to the house then turned and ran around the side, heading to the backyard. The sight that greeted him was not something he would have liked to see.

Jason and Ty were throwing insults at each other, swinging wildly with clenched fists. Sky and Jerome were desperately trying to keep them apart, trying to calm them down. Ty and Jason didn't seem to be affected by it, instead too busy with throwing their insults of sticks and stones.

Seto just stood there dumbly for a moment, blinking in shock. For the past seven years he had known them for, he had never seen something like this. They looked like they would have gladly fought to the death if Sky and Jerome weren't in the way.

"I hate you, you little dumb ass!" Ty shouted, trying to get past Jerome. "Let me go, dammit. Move!"

Jason growled behind his helmet and attempted to duck under Sky. "I'm the dumb one? Well at least I can see my toes!"

Ty blinked in shock, face falling flat for one minute. Then pure fury erupted in his rusty eyes, nearly making them look scarlet with the blazing anger. "How _dare _you!" he screamed, finally pushing Jerome away and tackling both Sky and Jason."At least I don't hide behind a stupid helmet like a little baby! You know, it's like you're hiding something. Oh wait, you are. Aren't you?"

Sky yelped and struggled out, worming away from the two. "Guys, come on! We can talk, right? Let's just talk about this!"

His voice had raised several octaves when he said it. On any other day Seto would have laughed. But instead, he stormed forward.

Magic whipped forward with a flick of his wrist, curling around Ty's ankles and Jason's wrists. The two were pulled apart, swung up into the air, and then held there. Seto walked over, glaring up at the two. "What's going on?" he asked Sky and Jerome then looked back at the two. "Why are you guys fighting?"

Sky stood from the ground, picking his shades up and placing them back on his nose. "I don't know. Jerome found them fighting and ran to get me. We broke them up once, but then shit went down and it got serious."

Ty was angrily cursing Seto's great grandparents or something of the sort, swinging and trying to grab a hold of the rope of purple and silver. "Seto, let me down! Let me down, fucking right now!"

Jason was attempting to struggle away from the binds, legs kicking uselessly in the air. Winds whipped around him wildly, forming a miniature tornado. It was only then that Seto really remembered how he had control of the air. "Not funny, dude! Let me down so I can beat his ass!"

"_Enough,_" Seto snapped, stomping his foot and making them bounce a good two feet into the air. "I will not tolerate my friends fighting with each other."

Sky walked up to Seto, never taking his eyes off the two. "I'm sure they'll calm down in a bit," he said lowly as Jerome came over. "But… I'm not too sure anymore."

Jerome muttered something, rubbing one of his pointed ears. It twitched slightly, swiveling to fold against his head for a moment. "Dang," he murmured, "Jason can hit hard."

Seto sighed and waved at Jason and Ty, pulling them even further apart. "Alright. How about we all just go our separate ways, okay? Jason, you go home. Ty, I need to talk to you. Sky and Jason, as long as you make sure nobody's going to kill anybody else, just go wherever. Oh, wait."

Sky was just turning away when Seto reached over and plucked a single hair from his head. He turned and frowned. "Hey, what was that for?"

Seto shrugged and got one from Jerome then walked over to Ty and grabbed one of his long, dark brown hairs. "Nothing special, just something I'm working on. Jason, could I-"

"Hell no."

The spaceman swung a leg at him, only to be jerked higher into the air. He sighed and glared down at Seto. "Stay the fuck away from me."

Seto closed his eyes and shook his head, glancing down at the hairs he already had. "Come on…"

Jason paused for a moment. Then his visor flipped up on a low voice command. A tendril of magic snaked up and took a hair. Seto nodded at him, smiling slightly. "Wasn't so bad, right? Now can I leave and trust you not to kill anybody?"

The visor just snapped close without any chance for them to get a closer look. "Whatever," Jason muttered. Slowly, Seto let the spell unwind and he dropped to the ground. Jason kicked off the ground, jetpack firing up and shooting him over the roof of the house. Sky hummed slightly and made to leave.

"I'll go talk to him. See ya later, guys. Wish me luck."

Jerome scratched the back of his head, shifting on his feet. "Yeah, I'll go too. I promised Mitch a round of Survival Games."

Soon it was only Seto and Ty. The sorcerer turned to him and gently set him on the ground. Ty stood, glaring at him through his hair. "I hate you," he muttered, brushing off the dirt on his white t-shirt. "I hate you a lot."

Seto waved a hand and walked over, shaking his head. "No you don't."

Ty sighed, shooting a glare at him. "Whatever," he muttered. After a moment he heaved another sigh and started over to the back door. "Come on, let's go."

[...]

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Ty asked, sitting down across from Seto. He dropped an open bag of chips onto the table, reaching in to grab one.

Seto paused for a moment, thinking. It was best to ask it outright than delay. "What happened? With you and Jason?"

Ty looked out the window, a frown tugging at his lips. He chewed slowly then swallowed, sighing. "I don't know, really. It just... It was jut an argument. But then I said... I said-"

Seto stared at him, brown gaze confused. "You said what?"

"I said... I said that my parents loved me enough to stay."

Seto abruptly sat back, as if he had been smacked. Eyes wide, he just sat there. "You... Oh Notch, Ty. You know how he is about his parents."

Ty looked down and his hair fell in front of his face. "Yeah, I know."

Seto nodded slightly, leaning his arms on the table and tracing the darker patterns on the oak wood. He said nothing.

After a moment, Ty reached for another chip. He crouched it in half, but Seto could tell his appetite was gone. "So... How have you been?"

This was an attempt at changing the subject; Seto took it with open arms and leaned back in his chair. "Busy," he said, bouncing a leg. "Very busy."

"You look tired." Ty's gaze was still hidden by his dark hair, but Seto could practically feel it studying the bags under his eyes and his shaggy appearance.

"I'm not, don't worry."

But the sentence hung in the air like a moth, hovering in the draft from the air conditioner. Seto sighed and rubbed his eyes, pressing them with his palms until he saw splashes of color.

"Seto..."

"Alright, alright." His hands dropped down to the table. "I haven't been sleeping much. I should be right now, but I needed a few things from you guys. I just needed yours, Jason's, Sky's, Jerome's and... Oh, and I need Ant's and Jordan's."

"Why?" Ty asked, raising a eyebrow. "Are you talking about the hair?"

Seto nodded and reached into the chip bag, pulling out a small pile and setting them on the table. "Yep. It's just for a little spell, nothing special."

"Oh, okay."

Suddenly, there was a loud thud from above. Seto looked up and frowned. He stood and hurried outside with Ty close behind, only to be met with a sight so unsettling made his stomach churn.

"Bodil, you've taken it too far this time! You don't just _do _that to people! You can't just make them forget seeing you, or- or make them think you're normal."

Two Fallen angels were standing on the roof, completely oblivious to their audience.

"At least I _can _do it! All you ever do is whine and cry because you _can't_. And you're only ever jealous of me."

Simon bristled, black wings unfurling slightly. "What?! No I don't! And I'm not!"

Bodil glared at him over his shades, orange eyes hot with anger. "Oh really? Don't think I don't miss the jealousy in your eyes when I pass you up in a parkour map, or the glares you send me when I use my abilities. Just because you're useless doesn't mean you have to get up on me about it. It isn't my fault you never qualified to be a guardian, so stop taking your rage out on me!"

Simon paused for a full minute, face reddening with fury. And then he jumped forward and went into a string of Bulgarian, speaking so fast that he didn't leave any time for Bodil to respond. But soon enough, he stood his ground and started shouting back.

They were loud enough to attract the attention of the others in the neighborhood. Soon enough, Ty and Seto where not alone. Mitch and Jerome, packed up for a round of Survival Games, stood off to their right. Ian was walking towards them, followed by Husky.

"What do we do?" Ty whispered, still staring at the two angels. Seto just shrugged helplessly. This was much worse than he thought it would be.

He only needed Jordan's and Ant's hair, though, and then his plan would be ready. He needed to hurry. "I need to go, Ty," he said suddenly, turning his back on the two angels. "I'll see you later."

"Wait, you're just gonna let them-"

"They'll figure it out," Seto said, waving a hand as he started walking. Suddenly, there was another thump.

He turned around to see a devil, nearly an exact clone of Bodil except for his bat-like wings, his devil tail, the claws on his fingers, and the dark horns curling up from his head. "Now now, friends. Must you fight? You are attracting attention. Come on, how about we go race or something? Martin, please stop fighting. I do not like it when you guys fight. Simon, come on. Nomis would never so this sort of thing."

It was Nitram, Bodil's 'reflection' from the mirror world. Bodil had found him through a glitch in a world, as far as Seto knew. The devil had stayed, abandoning his old world to stay with Bodil.

And apparently, he was an excellent peacekeeper. As soon as he was in the middle of the scene, Bodil smoothed his ruffled temper and turned away from Simon, abruptly ending the little spat between the two of them.

Simon glared at him, scowling, and spread his wings. He cast a glance down at the humans and his scowl grew. But with one strong pump of his dark wings, he was back in the air and flying away.

"Come on Martin," Nitram said, taking his brother by the shoulder. "Come on."

With a wavering glare from the angel, they, too, took to the air.

Seto sighed and shook his head, turning with a finale goodbye. He would have to start his plan sooner than he thought he would.

* * *

**And here it is, the second chapter. Things are looking worse and worse, aren't they? (Totally didn't take advantage of Simon's rage). And what could Seto's 'plan' be? Find out in the next chapter.**

**And, by the way, this will most likely be updated daily. Or at least five times a week. If I don't, then I'll probably start lagging behind on my word count. That won't do. But yeah. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for being awesome, thanks for reading.**

**-Cold**


	3. Chapter 3

**Quick note before you start. most of the characters live in one subdivision, somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Jordan, Seto, Bodil, etc, do not live there. Team Crafted does, and so do others. Sorry for any confusion. You guys need to remember that I'm winging this.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - The Plan**

"Jordan, come on. I'm not going to hurt Snowy."

Seto spread his arms out as if to show that he was harmless. But the demigod just glared at him, white gaze cold with anger. Lightning continuously crackled overhead, relentlessly striking the ground and trees. Jordan shifted, hugging Snowy closer to his chest. The little Netherian dragon growled slightly, one clawed paw wrapped tightly around the onyx pendant Jordan wore.

"Seriously, I only need something from you," Seto said, exasperated. He had been there for literally fifteen minutes, and Jordan had yet to say one word. The sorcerer could probably count on one hand how many times the demigod had blinked.

Seto sighed at Jordan's relentless stare and ran a hand through his long brown hair. "Please? It's just for a spell."

Finally, after a long and awkward staring contest, Jordan blinked. One of his legs moved, stretching out on the floor. "What do you want?"

"Just a hair."

At this, Jordan paused. He blinked again and stood, dragon still cradled in his arms. "Oh? Why?"

Seto swallowed before answering, suddenly feeling small. Jordan was a good eight inches taller than him, and the sorcerer was by no means short. "A spell-I told you that already."

"What kind of spell?"

Jordan was asking too many questions already, and Seto hadn't even gotten the hair "A, uh..."

"You don't sound too sure of yourself." Jordan blinked for the third time and sighed, loosening his grip on Snowy. Automatically, she twisted and climbed up onto his shoulder, wrapping around the back of his neck. "But whatever."

The demigod reached up and plucked a long, black hair from his head and held it out to Seto. "Whatever you're going to do, Seto, keep me out of it."

Seto hastily took the hair and nodded, stepping away. The hair melted into dust (he had transported it back to his home, where it was already being made up with the others into the spell he had been working on) and he smiled. "Thanks Jordan. And don't worry, I promise you won't have anything to do with it."

As he said this, Seto set his hands behind his back and crossed his fingers.

[...]

The Celestial dragon hissed at him, lips pulling back over his sharp fangs. The tendrils that grew out from behind his nostrils waved in the air; one snapped the air like a whip, and the dragon coiled closer around Ant.

"Breakfast, it's just Seto."

Breakfast, the dragon, had always had some soft of grudge against Seto. The sorcerer had only ever earned glared from him.

But Seto just shrugged and said, "Ant, I just need a hair from you."

But the moment he spoke, Breakfast growled again. Seto cast him a glare, which only earned a deeper and louder growl. He turned and snuffled at Ant's hair, one hand curling around his ankle. _**"Din ca. No rea, din ca. No rea fin eh."**_

Seto's glare intensified, and it snapped over to Ant. "You seriously need to watch what you say around him."

Ant just shrugged and reached up, tugging a hair or two off his head. "I swear to notch, Seto, that I never say anything wrong around him... Most of the time."

He stepped away from Breakfast, tugging his foot out of the dragon's grip and handing the hair to Seto. "So what do you need it for?"

"Just a little spell."

Which had, of course, been his answer to the question that everybody had asked. But he just smiled and nodded, flashing a quick glare at Breakfast before taking his leave.

[...]

"Alright. Let's get this done."

Seto flipped through the book, eyes scrolling across the Rune text. He already had the spell set up and all he needed was to take a small leap of faith.

"... Kerberos?"

And with a slight sigh, the voice at the back of his head stirred. _"This is very foolish, you know,"_ she muttered.

Kerberos was a voice he had had since he was born. She had, apparently, saved his life by using him as a host. (That was what she said, anyways.) He had learned to live with her sarcastic remarks, which usually beat down on his ability to do anything.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Seto answered aloud, shrugging. "But I'll do anything to keep everybody from falling apart. I just need your help now, alright?"

Kerberos said nothing, but hummed softly, unconvinced.

Seto sighed through his nose, looking up at the bookshelves surrounding the enchantment table. "Look. I know where the relic is to reverse everything, if we need to."

_"But you know it only reverses if everybody involved can finally agree with each other."_

Seto shrugged. "Come on, Ker. You know that once I do this, everybody will want to get back to normal."

She sighed again, muttering something about contemplating her life choices, before she finally agreed. Kerberos surfaced and said, _"Fine. My turn."_

Seto felt his limbs lock up, and then he was suddenly tossed away into the darker corners of his mind.

_"Ir mek thi, va fhr jhas,"_ Kerberos muttered almost as soon as she had control. She stared down at the book, silver eyes as cold and calculating as ever. She blinked once and waved a hand, summoning the small clump of hair and setting it down on the page, centered in a strange, oval-shaped pattern with dark lines surrounding it.

With one last incantation that even Seto couldn't understand, light flooded the book's pages. Fire, bright white and silver, licked up from the old paper. She backed away, watching as the fire shifted into a more definite form, melting down and shimmering gold. _"You ready, Seto?"_

"Uh-huh," he muttered, and was suddenly thrown back in control of his body. He could already feel it, though, the tugging at his spine and the crackling of his bones. He swallowed and tried to turn-tried to run out of the house. He knew the consequences of the spell, though, and his vision blurred.

It felt as if it was sapping the energy straight out of him, tugging it away thread by thread until he staggered and fell against the bookshelves. "Well," he said hoarsely, shuddering at the sudden draining. "At least I know it's working."

[...]

**The wizard is a foolish one, is he not?**

_It is not his fault. It is the curse's fault._

**I do not think so. And do not call my creation a curse, sir. It was your puny gods' fault that they all went mad.**

_But my lady, you are the one who made the curses. Do not blame my gods for it. That means, under the circumstances, that what is about to happen is your fault._

**My fault? Nonsense. You are the one who stole your idol away. Or have you forgotten about that? Don't you remember, good sir?**

_..._

**I thought so. If it was not for you, we wouldn't be separated. And if we hadn't been separated, we would not have thrown the world out of balance.**

_Well..._

**Well what?**

_Well, once the idols are back together, we will not be able to talk to each other anymore. That is why I sent it away._

**... Hmph.**

[...]

"Look... Jason, I want to apologize."

Ty could practically feel Jason's cold stare from behind his helmet.

"What I said was—"

And suddenly, any thoughts of apologizing fled his mind. Pain raced up his spine, as well as the multiple and sudden cracks. He stiffened and staggered away from the house. The mailbox was the only thing that kept him from going into the street. He could hear Jason gasp, and Ty opened his eyes to find the spaceman hunching over in similar pain.

The last thing Ty saw was Jason fall to the ground, and then his world went black.

[...]

"Father?"

Seto sighed through his nose and shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position. But there was a rapping on the roof, which was surprisingly loud, and he blearily slid one eye open. "Agnus, give me five more minutes."

"But Father, the spell worked. You're a... A, uh..."

And he sat up, whacking his head on the ceiling. With a grin that flashed sharp, small, serrated teeth, he looked down at himself. "It worked!" he exclaimed, running a clawed paw over the smooth, soft violet-colored plates on his chest.

He tried to turn around, only to be met with a problem:

The room, which could usually hold a small crowd of people, left him little room to move around in. "A little help, Agnus? I'm stuck."

And, indeed, he was. He could hardly move his newly acquired tail, and he had to hunch his long neck over uncomfortably. But suddenly, the roof was torn away. With a sigh of relief, Seto straightened up and hopped over the wall. Agnus set the roof back down, the dropped onto all four feet.

"You're not as I imagined," she said after getting a long look at Seto, head tilting to the left. "And I am still larger than you."

Seto gave a shrug and started looking himself over. The spell originally had two forms that someone would shift into. Dragons… or fish. And seeing that fish would not be able to make it half way across the world to reverse the spell, Seto had chosen the better of the two.

He craned his neck around, studying the purple and silver scales with a bright brown eye. He had splotches of lighter purple scattered across his entire body. Dark amethyst fur ran down his back, and he had lighter patches of the same silky fur on his elbows and just above his feet. He spread a wing, studying the strange feathers that melted into regular webbing. The webbing was a light purple, and the feathers were a mixture of different, darker purples. He moved the thumb claw on the wing, turning to Agnus and flashing her a thumbs-up.

He was still a good five feet shorter than her, though, and she could have easily carried him.

"So, Father, what is the point of turning yourself into a dragon? I liked you quite well as a human."

Seto shrugged his wings slightly, shifting back into his haunches. "Well, you see, I'm not the only one that the spell affected."

[...]

A thunderous roar sounded, hot with fury, and a midnight black dragon thrashed in a large tree, desperately trying to escape the ensuring branches. His white eyes glowed like fire, lit with anger.

A smaller dragon, darkly colored with ruby eyes, desperately tried to pry the larger one's tail out of the tree.

"Seto!"

[...]

"It affected everyone, and I'm hoping that-"

[...]

A blue dragon, blue scales slick with water, clambered out of a lake with a gasp. The orange fins in his cheeks furled close to his neck, and the webbed spines along his neck, back, and tail rose with surprise. He slipped on a mossy rock that was half submerged, and fell down with a large splash.

"Butts," the dragon muttered, amber eyes wide as he craned his neck over to study his new shape.

[...]

"- they'll learn to stop fighting. Because it tears me up when they do."

[…]

"Jerome, get your fat ass off of…. Oh holy Notch."

The red and grey dragon clawed his way away from the brown one. He sneezed and shook himself, staggering on his new four feet. "Jerome? What's—"

The other dragon, about his size in height but most definitely shorter, stirred from his sleep. He blinked open dark eyes and looked up, instantly jumping to his feet. He was covered in fur, and it hung down from everywhere it could. A strip of it, heavier than the rest of his fur, lay limp all the way down his back and to the tip of his tail. His underbelly fur was white, with a strange patch of dark red just under his chin. He shook out the kinks in his bones, brown, feathery wings unfurling slightly. "I don't know, mitch."

The red one looked down at himself, light brown, cat-like eyes studying the light grey plating along his underside. His front legs had darker grey stripes, and his back had brown sock-like markings. He had leopard-like spots covering his back, as if someone had dumped a ton of gravel and dust over his dark red scales. His wings started out like Jerome's, with feathers, but grew into grey and red-tipped webbing. He looked over at Jerome, reaching a paw up and scratching at the curling ram horns on his head. Jerome had antlers, which were a light, dusty tan.

"You know, I think we can win the Survival Games now."

[…]

"And besides, Agnus, you gotta admit that all their reactions will be hilarious. I hope."

[…]

"Martin, Martin there is something very very wrong. Martin, I am a lizard. I am a lizard with wings. Oh, no, what did I do? Did I do something? Did we stir up ancient magic, or something? You are a drag— Oh, you are a dragon too. So did it happen to everybody? Will this be fixed? Martin, I cannot fit into the house. Why are you down there? Please come up, I think it is going to storm."

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Bodil stared up at Nitram, slack-jawed. His blinked his orange eyes and then twisted his head around to look at himself. He had fur running from his head and to the base of his neck, a few shades brighter orange than his eyes, but the fur quickly blended into jagged spikes, which ran to the middle of his new tail. At the end was a fan of fur and feathers. He was almost entirely black, with the exception of grey stripes on his front legs and a soft orange on his neck. His wings, though, were several different shades of green, starting out dark and then getting progressively lighter. Many horns, all symmetrical, ran around the back of his head.

"Nitram, it's okay," he called up, shifting slightly in the cramped space. He could feel the glass coffee table crunch underneath his foot, which he had landed on when the spell had first taken over. "I'll be okay. But I need you to move away from the window, okay? I don't want you-"

Nitram put one dark red paw forward, and suddenly the skylight tilted. He yelped and slid down, claws scrambling uselessly at the thick glass. And suddenly, he landed with a soft thump, directly onto Bodil.

He was almost exactly the same as Bodil was, except with red scales instead of black and his usual bat-like wings, which hadn't changed color at all.

He blinked his black and red eyes and looked down, grinning at Bodil. "Hello."

[…]

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Seto shifted, nearly tripping over his tail, and nudged the roof away, halting any progress the purple wisps were making in repairing it. He reached down, snatching up a silvery idol. It was a koi fish, curling slightly into the shape of half of a yin yang symbol.

"We'll need this to transform back," Seto said, holding it up to let Agnus see. This is one of the two Fates. It's the moon, I think."

He turned it in the light, then carefully tucked it under a wing. "It'll be safe here, until I find a way to carry things. Maybe a backpack or something."

And suddenly, a shadow was cast over them.

The golden and gey dragon landed with a clumsy _thud, _and two brown-gold eyes glared at Seto through chocolate hair that fell over them. "Seto, you have a _lot _of explaining to do," Sky hissed, taking one heavy step towards the smaller dragon with an enraged gleam in his eyes.

* * *

**Why dragons? because it was what my Queeny asked for. And again, why not? (I have a feeling that I'm going to be saying that a lot.) So now would be an excellent time to go check out her DeviantART, which has all the characters' dragon appearances. So now, in later chapters, you can skip all the boring description paragraphs and just go look at the pictures. Yeah?**

**Let me tell you guys something. I need to get it across that I _cannot _edit this. Sure, I can go through and make sure it's all spelled correctly(which is still technically breaking the rules of NaNoWriMo), but I can't go and change something. So yeah.**

**So I'm sorry if the whole 'Fates' thing was sudden, but I really needed to do it now or else it would have screwed up the entire story. I had the idea during first hour, and I got yelled at for writing it. So be happy it's not all screwed up... The talking and POV skips are completely separate. Seto is talking to Agnus, and then it goes to show some other characters. Just wanted to point that out.**

**Hope you enjoyed, my guys. Thanks for all the support so far. I know it's a rickety business, getting a new story up into the air, but I have a feeling this one will be good. Leave a review, tell me what you think. I love you all. Stay awesome for me, alright?**

**-Cold**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Consequences**

"Sky, I can explain."

The gold and grey dragon's tail lashed the air, long brown fur at the end snapping like a whip. "Go ahead and try," he snarled hoarsely.

"Well, I- uh, I-I... I..."

Sky growled and lowered his head, sharp grey claws digging into the earth. The dark horns on his head looked like they could smash Seto in, if he charged. And with enough force, the curling horns probably could.

But suddenly, Agnus stepped forward, a growl echoing through her chest. She was taller than Sky, and only slightly longer, but he stood up proudly, flaring his grey and brown-striped wings.

Maybe Seto should have thought about the fact that some of them would give in to instincts.

But he quickly leaped in entered the two, before they could fight, and said, "Come on, Sky. I bet everyone else is taking this better than you."

In the distance, there was an enraged roar. Seto cast a glance towards the faraway jungle, plain beneath his scales at the storm that was quickly forming.

But he directed his attention back to Sky, who sat back on his haunches with a glare. "Explain."

Seto shook his head, though, curling his tail around his feet. "I think I better wait for everyone else."

Sky glowered at him and thought for a moment, then stood. "Alright, fine. Let's go. Let's go right now."

"I don't know how to fly," Seto said, hoping to buy himself some time. He wasn't ready to explain everything to everybody. He hadn't thought of what to say, or-

"Too bad. We're going now." Sky spread a wing, having somehow already learned to fly. "All you do is just jump and hope for the best."

"He's right you know," Agnus said from behind Seto, shifting her weight. "But it's more complicated than that."

But Seto just shook his head and sat down again, claws curling into the grass. "I'll pass."

And suddenly Sky turned, leaping into the air and grabbing his shoulders. With one strong, clumsy flap, he had them both into the air. His wingspan was massive, almost thrice as he was long. Agnus roared at him and was instantly on his heels, but Sky just shook himself, letting go of Seto.

Maybe it was out of sheer terror, or instinct, or perhaps he was just that smart, but Seto twisted in the air and snapped his wings out. He snatched up the koi fish idol before it could fall and held it close as he glided. "Sky! What the actual-"

"I told you, Seto," Sky called down, flight path jerking slightly in a downdraft. Seto opened his mouth to complain, and he quickly cut the sorcerer off. "I don't want to hear it, either. If you can't tell, I'm not in the best of moods. And you couldn't have transformed everyone when I wasn't sick, of course."

So that was why his voice sounded hoarse—he was sick.

Seto supposed he should have felt guilty, but with the scare Sky had just given him, he only felt a small sense of satisfaction. Agnus nudged one of his wings with her nose and said, "Father, you're going to crash into the ground if you do not fly up."

With a slight sigh, he glanced at his purple wings and flapped once, then twice, until he was up next to Sky. "So have you seen anyone else yet?"

Sky nodded slightly, huffing with the strain of flying. Agnus swooped by, under him, and said something about how he should tuck his legs up to his stomach. But he just growled and dropped his legs even lower. "Yeah. Everybody but Mitch, Jerome, um… Jordan, Bodil, Nitram, and a few others, are there."

"That's not everybody, Sky."

"So? It's close enough. They sent me out here to get you because I was the only one who had learned to fly."

Seto hummed, twirling the relic in his hands. "Well-"

"Oh, and Gordy's there, too."

[…]

Gordy was a small squid prince. They all assumed his father had been Derpsolu, the king of squids, but Gordy had always been tight-lipped about his family. As every 'royal' squid, he should have been able to transform into a human hybrid, but he lacked the ability to. Instead, he was completely fine on land, and could talk as well as any other human.

But Gordy had died one year ago.

"Gordy!"

A little dragon lifted his head up, and grinned. He jumped to his feet and hopped forward a bit, but collapsed back to his stomach. "Human! Oh, my! I am alive, look Seto! I am alive!"

Seto landed clumsily, ducking under who he assumed was Ian's wing, bolting to the little dragon. Two thuds hit the ground behind him, one louder than the other.

Gordy couldn't have been bigger than a horse, almost looking like a hatchling against the others. He was splashed and striped with several different shades of blue, with lighter, smaller wings that couldn't possibly lift him into the air. But his eyes were bright, sparkling like diamonds, and the grin said it all.

"I am alive. You brought me back to life. I knew you weren't bad, sorcerer. I knew it."

Seto hid the guilt with a smile and held out an arm. Gordy struggled to his new feet, obviously used to having tentacles instead of legs, and scrambled up onto Seto's shoulder.

"Sorry to ruin the reunion, Seto, but you have some explaining to do."

The dragon that spoke was a light blue, almost blinding in the sunlight. He had slightly darker stripes on his neck and shoulders, and his feathery wings were different shades of light blue. The grey belly plating looked like it wouldn't be able to fend off any sort of attack, but the wicked, curling horns that twisted around and to the tip of his muzzle would definitely be able to run anything through. His eyes were surprisingly a light pink, blazing with suppressed anger.

Seto didn't realize who it was, at first, until the dragon shook himself and one sleeve of a brilliant crimsons scarf fell down from his shoulder. It was Baki.

"Yeah, dude," a fish-like dragon that Seto had no problem identifying said. He was half-submerged in a nearby pond, fiddling with his webbed fingers. "I hope this was an accident, and not on purpose."

"Um…"

"Seto wouldn't do that," Gordy said instantly, climbing up onto Seto's head and gripping his horns to stay steady. "And besides, whatever he did brought me back to life, accident or not."

"Gordy I-"

"I'm sure he has a very good reason, too." The little dragon puffed out his chest, eyes gleaming. His bright red tongue flicked out and tasted the air. "And look! I have legs now."

"Gordy, let me talk." Seto shook his head slightly, and the squid-turned-dragon dropped in fear of falling off.

He looked around, noticing how crowded it was. Several of his friends had to either lie on the roofs or stand over the hoses, just to fit.

"Seto, is this what you were talking about earlier?" a bright green dragon asked. He tilted his head, showing the strange musical note markings on his black horns. Dark stripes ran down on both his sides, and he had grey markings on his hind feet. His wings were a lighter grey, with green tips. "Is this the _little spell _you had planned?"

"… Maybe?"

[…]

He was stuck.

In a tree.

He was stuck in a tree, and angry.

Very, very angry.

"Papa, please stop thrashing," Cherry called, landing on the top of the tree while trying to get one of his wing spurs out from between two branches. "it isn't doing any of us any good."

"I'm going to kill him!" Jordan snapped, twisting around onto his side. He had one wing free, which was uselessly draped across Jerry tree's trunk. He tried to squirm away again, but anything past his shoulders was firmly twisted through the tree. Honestly, he didn't know how it had happened. He had just woke up, upside-down, with his six children fluttering around him.

"I will, I swear it. I'll rip out his eyes and eat them, then proceed with his throat and innards How about roasted sorcerer for dinner, guys?"

Maybe it was just his horrible mood talking, but Jordan was intent on doing what he said. So maybe, just maybe, that was why the six Ender dragons hovered uncertainly, not wanting the sorcerer to die.

"Stupid tree," Jordan hissed, swinging his head around and clamping his jaws around a branch, lifting it. It creaked and groaned, and suddenly his other wing was free. He squirmed, kicking, and finally broke free of the twisting branches. Instantly, he spread his wings and jumped, only to plunge down and topple an entire tree. "Seto!" he screeched furiously, clawing himself out of the wreckage. "Solari, go find Agnus. Wherever she is, he is."

For once, Solari hesitated. But then he took off, winging his way towards his mate. He could tell where she was; it was like a tugging in his gut, pulling him towards her.

Jordan picked himself up and clumsily made his way after him, staggering on his new four feet. His scales were a shiny black, solid and uninterrupted except for being slightly lighter on the underside of his wing. He had a strip of grey fur traveling down to the end of his tail, and he constantly swiped it out of his eyes.

He tramped through the forest, having to take a winding route because he couldn't fit in between the trees. He was giant dragon, and he guessed that he weighed at least twenty tons. "Notch, Seto," he murmured, trying to duck under a tree that was just up to the base of his neck. But he didn't fit, and he lifted himself up to try and jump over it. But that wouldn't work, either, and he finally got fed up with it.

With a roar, Jordan reared back on his hind legs and smashed the tree away, wings flaring out. "I've had it! I am sick and tired of everything not going my way!"

And with one, strong leap, and a lofty pump of his enormous wings, he was aloft, speeding after Solari.

[…]

"So, you guys had been arguing so much lately," Seto began, hunching his wings apprehensively at the glares. "And I thought, I need to get them to stop. And I figured that you wouldn't like to be fish, so-"

"So fifteen ton dragons were the better choice?" Ian spat, left eye twitching. "I don't even have my freaking glasses, either."

Gordy watched them all silently, but then he turned and sniffed the air. With a slightly trembling hand, he reached forward and tugged on one of Seto's horns. "Sorcerer, there is something in the air-"

"Unless you all wanted to suffocate to death, then yeah, dragons were the better choice. And besides, the idol we need in order to change back is thousands of miles away, past the north wall, and we can only pass that if we can fly."

A hushed silence immediately fell over them.

They had all heard the legends of the Northern Wall. Anybody who ventured past it would never return. It was a feared place of myths and fairytales, but ominous clouds of seriousness always plagued the stories of the fabled wall. There were rumors of giants, twice as tall as the dragons were, and elves made completely of ice. Magic supposedly swamped the land, turning anything that entered insane.

Sky growled, suddenly, sitting on his haunches. His tail whipped the air, and his lips pulled back in a snarl. And, like always, he was the lead voice of the group: "Fuck no."

And suddenly, a dark shadow washed over them. Seto glanced up just in time to see a dark beast of night descend, landing right on top of him with an angry roar. "You will fix this now! Right now, sorcerer! Right _now_!"

Seto yelped, suddenly finding himself pinned to the ground by the _much _larger dragon. "J-Jordan?"

The demigod's eyes glowed like the sun and he showed his teeth menacingly. "Fix me. Now."

"Jordan, we were just talking about that," Seto squeaked out, but a paw was pressed to his neck, and he was cut off mid-sentence.

"I don't care what you were talking about, sorcerer," the dragon growled, "but you're fixing it."

"Well…"

Suddenly Gordy squirmed out from under Seto. He jumped and clawed at Jordan's arm, not leaving a single scratch in the dark scales. "You let o of Seto right now, okay? I don't care who you are or what you are, but you are not going to hurt him."

The squid-turned-dragon made a show of his little speech, too, spreading his wings and whacking the air twice with them.

"And besides, the others are staring. You would not want to kill someone when everybody else is watching. Save it for a cow, or maybe a pig."

Jordan blinked and looked up, ears folding flat against his head. He had no horns, but only smooth scales that looked soft and delicate. With a growl, he stepped away from Seto and sat down moodily. "Alright, fine. Now, Seto, explain to us what we need to do to get back to normal."

"First, you need to cooperate with each other. Then, we need to head over the Northern Wall."

Seto fully expected Jordan to pause, but the dragon just shrugged and looked north. "Oh, okay," he said dismissively.

Suddenly, Jason reared up. He had been lying behind a house, messing with the armor plating that covered his body. Not much of him could be seen past the blue armor, but what they could see was a mixture of grey and blue. "You're not wary of it?"

Jordan shrugged a wing, turning his white glare over to the spaceman. "Why should I? Hasn't it occurred to you guys that we're freaking giants with claws and wings? And besides, I've been there before."

"What?"

"In the Hexxit world," Jordan said and jutted his head back, gesturing towards the six dragons lying about behind him, drawn in to their own conversation. To Seto's distaste, he spotted Agnus curled up next to Solari. "It's where I found them, past the Northern Wall."

"But it's not the same," Seto argued almost immediately. "That world and this world are completely different."

"Do you want to take my advice or not?" Jordan spat back, suddenly letting his well-hidden anger show for a moment. But then he shifted when Gordy stood, and calmed himself again.

Seto paused, and Sky took the chance to jump in. "We should gather everyone up and leave immediately. We'll need to explain to them, too. Who else did this curse affect?"

Seto bristled at the word 'curse', but refrained from saying anything about it. Instead, he just shuffled his wings and said, "Everybody. Bodil, Ryan, Mitch, just everyone. And apparently, even Gordy."

And suddenly, Sky's face fell, and his gaze snapped towards Gordy. "Wait…"

"What?" Husky asked at Sky's pause, turning away to look at Gordy.

"If… if Gordy was brought back to life from the spell, then wouldn't that mean that… That everyone else was?"

The weight sunk in with another short burst of silence, but then Gordy turned and looked up at Seto. "That would mean everyone. The animal, the king, _everyone, _is alive."

Ty groaned and fell onto his side, setting his head on the porch of someone's house. "Well, crap."

* * *

**And here we have it, the main plot introduction. (Sort of). And once again, sorry for any confusion, but I promise, I look at your guys' questions, then try to answer them in the next chapter. I'm not ignoring you, or anything.**

**But dude. I just now realized how much I love Gordy. And sure, I'm still figuring out his min personality, but I think I've got a solid plan for him. I needed him back, I really did. And by the way... Grumpy Jordan is grumpy. I would be too, if I had woken up as a 20 ton dragon stuck in a tree, but this is a prime example of how much he can really rage at such little things like being turned into a dragon.**

**. . . . yeah.**

**I'll end my author's note here, because I'm tired and I've been up all night worrying if a tornado would hit. It didn't, thank Heaven, but it was dangerously close.**

**So thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed, and if you didn't, why are you still here? I love you all, stay awesome. And if somehow you're in my area, I hope you're okay from any tornadoes. Same goes for anyone with an angry Mother Nature snapping at your heels. Stay safe, stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 -****Arguments**

"Alright. So we need to round everybody up. Baki, you go get Bodil, Simon, and Nitram. You probably have the most experience in flying."

The feathery dragon nodded slightly, scratching at the base of one of his horns. "Alright. Flying can't be that bad."

He stood, unfurled his wings, and, being one of the smaller dragons, hopped up onto a roof. With a strong pump of his wings, he was up into the air. There was hardly anything clumsy about his flight, other than his tail whacking against the roof and a tree.

Seto turned to Sky. "Do you know where Mitch and Jer-"

"We won the Hunger Deans! And guess what, dudes, we're dr-" And suddenly, two dragons came prancing in to the already very crowded neighborhood. The red and grey one, who was obviously Mitch, paused at the sight of everyone else.

Jerome stopped, also, and looked around. "We're _all_ dragons."

Seto nodded and glanced around, rearing up onto his hind legs to see who was there. "So... Maybe half of us are here."

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Mitch asked, tail tip twitching. His crinkled his nose slightly, pulling his lips back over his sharp canines. "I mean, it's great and all, but I'm confused."

"Let me explain when everyone else gets here," Seto said, turning in a full circle. "Wait, where'd Jason go?"

"He went out in the woods," Ty answered, swinging a grey wing in the general direction.

Seto nodded and frowned slightly, but turned to Jordan. "Can you go and get-"

"No."

Jerome leaned towards Mitch and whispered, "Is that Hero-"

"I'm Jordan," the larger dragon snarled, reaching up and setting a paw over his eyes. "I really want my glasses back, now."

Jerome shifted slightly, looking up at the demigod. "I didn't recognize you, sorry."

"Someone needs to go and get Ant, and, uh..."

"Why don't we all just go and find them," Ian suggested. Blue and black-feathered wings shifting slightly. He sat to one side, with his legs out, and looked rather uncomfortable, squeezed in between two houses. "I mean, we'd better get going sooner rather than later."

"Well-"

And suddenly, a red dragon dropped down in the middle of their conversation. He landed half-on a roof, with his front half dangling into the ground. He blinked and looked up, shifting to the side as a black and green-winged dragon landed next to him, much more gracefully.

"There was a downdraft," Bodil explained, tumbling off the roof clumsily. He blinked and looked around, the familiar grin still on his lips. "So now we're all like this?"

Shortly after, two more feathery dragons landed. Bodil's smile instantly faded at the sight of the orange, blue, and green dragon landed with Baki. Instantly he turned and made up a conversation with Nitram, who cast a slightly confused glance over to Simon, then back to Bodil.

Seto sighed slightly and shifted, letting Gordy climb back onto his head. "We need to head to the Northern Wall as soon as possible," he said loudly, catching everyone's attention. "We should go as a group, so none of us get lost."

"No.," Ian objected almost instantly, rearing back onto his hind legs to get the advantage of height over Seto. He spread a wing and said, "We should stay in separate, smaller groups. Nothing's going to hurt us, not when we're like this."

"Hey, I agree with Seto," Husky interjected, clambering out of the pond. And besides, I don't have wings. I can't fly like the rest of you can."

"Then you'll stay here," Ian answered, shrugging.

Seto quickly shook his head, stomach sinking at where this was bound to g. "No, all of us need to reach the relic. I-"

"I'm not staying here, not when everyone else leaves. And besides, Jason doesn't have wings either. You wouldn't leave him behind, right?"

Ian's nose scrunched up slightly, bearing his fangs. "Then he'll stay here with you. And besides, smaller groups are better. We won't attract as much attention as we would if we all left together."

Husky's ins lifted slightly, and he growled softly. "No, Seto's right. Strength in numbers, dude. And besides, he's the only one who knows how to reverse this."

"I'm sure we could find a way without him, if something were to ever happen."

_"Seto, you need to stop them."_

Seto blinked and took a step forward as if to get between them, but Sky was already on it. "Guys! Don't fight now, god. We haven't even started the journey yet."

"Stay out of this Sky," Husky snarled, as if he had been offended by Sky stopping them from an inevitable fight.

"No," Sky said firmly, shaking his head and spreading his wings out to block Ian from view. "From what Seto said, we need to get along to transform back. I won't tolerate any arguing."

Husky growled slightly and turned away, tail flicking in agitation. He went back o the pond and coiled up in it, glaring at Ian. Seto looked down at the koi fish relic, running a clawed finger over its sooth, iridescent surface. "Well, never mind leaving in groups or as one giant group. We might need to move to some place where we can all fit. I mean, look at us. The roof's probably about to collapse under Bodil and Nitram."

"Well, where are we supposed to go?"

Suddenly, Snowy bolted over to Seto, spreading her wings to get his attention. "We can go home," she said, swinging her head around to look at Jordan. She ran over to him and quickly crawled up onto his leg, clinging to his scales. "In the jungle. There's enough room."

"Snowy, I don't think-" Jordan started, but Oteri said something suddenly.

"She's right, Papa. There's more than enough room, and the jungle is pretty big. Everyone would get their own tree."

And suddenly they had six dragons fixed on having everyone over for a visit. Jordan looked over at the others, silently begging for them to disagree. He really didn't want anybody over to his jungle; it almost seemed like they would be trying to steal from him. But much to his dismay, a murmur of approval was going around.

Seto gave an apologetic smile to Jordan and said, "Alright. Let's start going. And if you can fly, then great. If you can't, anybody that can will teach you. I'll stay behind with Gordy and explain to anybody that comes here."

"Someone still needs to get Ant," Ty said as he stood.

"I'll go," Sky offered, already jumping into the air. "And I'll go get anybody else that isn't here."

Seto nodded and watched as they slowly but surely left. Husky was pestering Jordan, trying to get a free ride to the jungle on his back. Gordy tugged on one of Seto's horns, tail sweeping across his neck. "Sorcerer, why did you do this to everybody?"

Seto was silent, trying to think of an answer.

"Because even though I like it, they don't seem to. Was this really a good idea?"

"I'm not sure anymore, Gordy," Seto admitted, watching as Simon 'accidentally' whacked Bodil with a wing as he took off. "I'm not sure."

[...]

There was darkness.

That really shouldn't have surprised him, of course, since it was probably just night. But what really bothered him was the fact that he couldn't breathe. He groaned and rolled, trying to take in a deep breath of the cool air. But water flooded his mouth and he jerked awake, navy eyes snapping open.

There was water.

His jaw dropped open, and more water flooded his throat. But this time, instinct took over, and he swallowed. His lungs filled with oxygen as the water was filtered out through the gills on his sides.

He was alive.

He looked down, surprised at the webbed, clawed hands that were attached to his body. He had no tentacles, surprisingly, and the nonexistent weight of them was duly noted. He craned his head around to look at his new body. Eyes stretched wide, he stared at the blue webbing running down his back and tail. The smooth skin along his back was a dark blue, blending in to the surrounding water perfectly. He had lightweight belly plates that were the same color as the dark stripe on his back. Zebra-like stripes ran from the dark blue, and the rest of his body was a lighter shade. He shifted his tail, which had a flipper-like thing at the end, and looked around.

He glanced up at the surface, quickly trying to paddle up. At least he was used to arms and legs; he couldn't imagine how it would have been for someone without them. His head broke the surface and immediately his gills snapped close, like they always used to. He took a deep breath of the humid air and looked around.

He was in a pond, in the middle of a jungle. A giant tree towered over his head to his left, glowing with lamps of glowstone and torches. Someone must live there.

He sniffed and swam towards the beach, clambering up out of the lake with an unsteady gait. He hadn't walked in a year and now it was showing. The water dragon stumbled and fell down, then quickly got back up and staggered over to the tree's base.

His claws curled into the grass and he leaned against the bark, still trying to take his sudden existence in. This was probably a dream, right? He had been dead not an hour ago and now he was alive as a… He was some kind of oversized lizard.

And suddenly, there was a roar.

His head snapped around, eyes widening at the sight of the several other oversized lizard heading his way. Quickly, before they would see him, he turned and bounded back into the lake. Just in time, too, because not a moment after he was submerged one of them landed three feet from where he had just been standing.

"No, no, no! Go get your own tree, this one is mine." A giant jet-black dragon nearly landed on top of the smaller one, hissing and spitting as if they were mid-fight. The black and green one quickly hopped out of the way, cursing the larger to the Nether and back. A red one was laughing, perched on a log that had fallen over.

He huddled down in the mud at the bottom of the lake, hoping that he would blend in with the water. The quiet peacefulness of the jungle was suddenly interrupted with chatter, growls, and the heavy sound of wings.

He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to hide for much longer.

* * *

**So imagine: A very very large group of dragons the size of a house, flying together, to the Northern Wall. ****And guess what's going to happen.**

**... So yeah.**

**Hope you enjoyed, guys. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for sticking with me, and I really do apologize if any of this doesn't make sense. Like I said before, I can't go back and change it. :/ Thanks for reading. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Explain, Please**

"Notch, Jordan, stop being so overprotective of a tree," Bodil hissed, quickly scampering away from the grumpy demigod-dragon before he was squashed. Nitram was laughing a little ways away, sitting on a log that had fallen over. It was propped up by another tree, and hung above the lake.

Jordan growled at the two of them and promptly lay down where he was, curling around the base of the tree without crushing the farm and animals. Husky quickly jumped off his back and went over to the lake, crouching on the shore. "So how much do you want to bet that someone's gonna fight?" he asked Nitram, scratching the underside of his chin with a webbed paw.

The devil shrugged his wings, tail tracing ripples in the water. "I do not like to make bets."

Husky's fins drooped slightly and he turned to Jerome, who was already clearing out a spot in a tree where he could curl up in, completely encased in leaves and branches. "What about you?"

"Ten bucks says that Seto'll be the one to get hurt."

[…]

_"This was a bad idea, wizard."_

"No it wasn't," Seto muttered out of the side of his mouth, still in the middle of explaining to Ant why he was a dragon. "It was a perfectly good idea."

Ant had to restrain physically restrain Breakfast form trying to bite Seto, one wing slung over the smaller dragon's body, holding him close. He was hardly smaller than Jordan, and outweighed Seto by a good six tons. He was grey, with a brown dusting over his back. He had several dark brown horns lining the back of his skull, with a strange ridge running down his back of the same color. Murky red wound up his hind feet, and he wore gloves on his front paws. His tail lashed and the brown blade on the end sliced through a nearby tree, nearly cutting it down.

_"No, I am fairly certain that it was a bad idea. Haven't you noticed that almost everybody is bigger than you? I mean, this one would most likely be able to snap your neck in half if he wanted to."_

Gordy was perched on his head, fingers curling into the purple fur on his head.

"This better be reversible," Ant said calmly, sitting back on his haunches. Breakfast squirmed away from his side and pounced at Seto, but he quickly reached forward and snatched the Celestial into a vice grip. "Because I can't hold Breakfast back for long."

Seto didn't need to read the context clues to get the threat, and he quickly nodded. "Yes, it's reversible. We were going to head out to find the second relic that would reverse the spell."

As if to prove his point, Seto held up the koi fish idol, bringing up a smile.

"Where is everybody?" Ant asked, looked at the silver koi fish.

"Ah… They're in the jungle." Seto jerked a wing up, pointing the in the general direction of where everybody had gone. Agnus had left to help the others learn to fly, so he had been left with Gordy to welcome the other arrivals of their transformed friends.

Suddenly, Ant's expression fell flat. "Which jungle?"

Seto swallowed at the abrupt change in tone, wings hunching slightly. "… Jordan's jungle."

Ant's grip suddenly loosened on Breakfast and the Celestial dragon jumped at the sorcerer.

[…]

"You seein' this right now?"

The man nodded, pale hazel eyes stretched wide. He lifted the binoculars again, gaze roaming over the serpentine bodies. He and a woman, who was fitted out with camouflage, where crouched in a tree, watching the four dragons with greed in their eyes. "Yeah," he whispered, "Yeah, I do."

The silver and purple dragon ducked as the longer one leaped at him, and the blue one on his head quickly scrambled onto the ground to avoid the Celestial.

"We're gon' be rich, Jerald," she murmured, snatching the binoculars from him.

"But the king said not to hunt any sort of drag-"

"Well, blast the king. We don' need 'im."

Jerald stared at her, then ran a hand over his balding head and sighed. "May, we can't just go and take down a twenty ton dragon." He pushed his coke-bottle glasses further up onto his crooked nose and sniffed, watching the dragons with awe. "And besides, we could get hung for treason."

"Treason? Ha! Yeah, right," she spat, shaking her head and sitting back. She slipped the backpack off and grabbed out the notepad and pencil. "The king's hardly ever 'round, anyways. He wouldn't notice a few dragons goin' dead."

"Dead?! Who said I wanted them _dead_?"

"Look, old man, I'm a not just a researcher. Ya know, we gotta get one of those dragons an' skin 'em alive, yeah? Gotta figure out their anatomy, yeah? Well, you want fortune, I want science."

Jerald fell silent and turned away from her, watching as the larger dragon came forward and finally pried the wingless one from its fight. "Yea, but…"

"No buts, Jerald. We both gon' be rich after we get one," she said, sketching the purple and grey one. May hummed and tapped the eraser on her chin. "So which one we gon' get?"

"There was a gold and grey one here, earlier. I think it's a boy, too. We'll take him, and a female. You know, to get the anatomy of both genders down."

"Are any a' them female, though? They all exhibited the same territorial traits of males." She quickly started getting a sketch of the larger grey and brown dragon, jotting down a few notes. "These a' all male, here, right?"

"I'm not sure about the purple and silver one," Jerald said, moving some leave out of the way. The dragon mentioned was picking itself off the ground, holding a silver item close to its chest. "It doesn't seem to be angry at all. That's common in female Ender dragons, but I'm not sure what kind of breed any of these are, besides the long one. We want him, too."

"Why?" she asked, moving on to sketch the one he was talking about. "Why him?"

"Because there's literally only two in existence. Don't you recognize him, May? He's a Celestial, the rarest of the rare. We won't want to kill him, of course. They are highly intelligent creatures, and are known for their tricks and riddles. It's fabled that they can grant someone good luck, too. Or curse them to seven years of bad luck."

May hummed and finally looked up from her sketch book, setting it away. "Well, we can't just up and take three dragons, not without help. You have any plans?"

_**"I believe I do."**_

The voice was deep, resonating like the other dragons'. The two humans turned around, only to be met with a wicked grin and deep, navy-grey eyes. _**"Allow me to introduce myself… I am Derpsolu, king of the squids. And I believe I can help you with what you want."**_

[…]

"Come on, Ryan!" Bashur called from Sky's back, "Just get up here and fly already!"

But Ryan shook his head, hunkering down against the grass. "No way, man! I'm not going up there."

He had black scales with grey, zebra stripes. His horns were a dull gold, and his belly plating a brighter dandelion. He had a wicked blade at the end of his tail, which was firmly wrapped around a tree. His wings were grey and black, with both feathers and webbing, but they were tucked tightly to his sides. He glared up at them with grey eyes, grey nose crinkling into a snarl. "I'm staying _right here,_and I'm not getting up."

Sky sighed and craned his neck over to Bashur, who was desperately trying to stay on his back. He was slightly smaller than Sky, probably about as big as Seto, but _much_ longer than any of his friends.

Bashur had mix-matched eyes, one red and one blue, and green scales. He had several stripes, red and dark green, going along his neck, back, and tail. Long, bristling, porcupine-like spines ran down his back and all the way down his tail in random disarray. Four horns, long and dark emerald, were growing from the top of his head. His claws were dull, though, and only hurt if he accidentally stepped on the joint that connected Sky's wing to his shoulder.

"Ryan, come on, Bashur's getting heavy," Sky called down, dropping a few feet in the air. "Don't make me carry you."

"Look, I know the way to Jordan's," Ryan said after a paused, standing up and taking a few steps out from under the tree. "I'll just walk there."

"You can't just—" Sky sighed and cut himself off, shaking his head and neck and making his long mane fly. "You really want the attention of the entire city? I mean, I know we're pretty far out from the city right now, but it's at least an hour's walk to Jordan's."

"I'm walking," the gold and black dragon said stubbornly, wings rustling as he started walking. Sky sighed and twisted his head around. "I'm taking you to Seto's," he murmured softly, "And then I'm coming back here and getting him. I'm sure someone will be able to give you a ride to Jordan's."

Bashur nodded and they were off, speeding across the land.

[…]

Ryan did not like heights. It was a little known fact about him, and he would have liked to keep it a secret.

But then Sky just _had_to swoop down and snatch him up, carrying him off. "Sky!" he screamed, trying to get away from the dragon. "Sky, put me down!"

"Come on, dude, why would I drop you know? And look, we're already halfway to Jordan's house."

But the ground kept getting farther and farther away, and Ryan's panic level skyrocketed. He twisted and clawed, trying to get out of Sky's grip. The jungle was just now rolling up to greet them, along with the distant roars and growls of the others, but they were still _too high from the ground._He was going to die, he was.

Sky would drop him, and he would die. He would die because he's too far off the ground, and his stomach was twisting into sickening knots.

Ryan craned his neck around and, without thinking, sunk his teeth into Sky's arm. The gold and grey dragon roared and his grip loosened automatically. Ryan twisted again, tail lashing, and squirmed away from Sky. With a half-surprised roar, he fell.

"Notch, Ryan!" Sky shouted, tucking in his wings and diving. "Idiot!"

There was a roar from below and suddenly Jordan was rearing up from the ground. With two pumps of his wings, he met Ryan mid-air, catching him and setting the panicked dragon on a tree. He twisted around to get Sky, who by now wouldn't have been able to pull up fast enough to avoid hitting the ground. His hand just brushed Sky, and the dragon was sent tumbling into the lake.

[…]

It wasn't every day that a fifteen-and-a-half ton dragon landed on top of him.

Albeit, it wasn't every day that _he_was a dragon, so he really had no right to complain.

But Notch, Sky was _heavy_.

The animal-turned-dragon yelped as Sky hit him, fins being smashed down painfully to his back. He squirmed out from underneath Sky and burst to the surface, fins flaring up in slight panic. Nitram yelped and jumped a good five feet into the air, darting away from the water. Husky backed up, too, at the sight of him.

The animal sat there, treading water. The lake was surprisingly deep, and murky from having all the mud kicked up. He looked down, hoping to have the other dragon splash up next to him. He was sure that it had been Sky; he could feel it.

And suddenly, Sky bobbed to the surface, wings folded tight to his sides. He gasped for air, casting the animal only a glance before scrambling out onto the shore, hair dripping with water. The animal stayed there for a moment, just floating. And then he blinked and looked around, suddenly aware of all the eyes on him.

His fins drooped and he realized that the last time he had seen most of these people, he had tried to kill them. He had tried to kill Sky, and then the angel had…

His gaze snapped towards Sky, who had most definitely realized who he was. "Wait, I can explain."

"Y-you. You're— you're."

Sky stared at him for a good minute before shaking his head and looking away. The animal slowly crept onto the shore, but Sky suddenly jerked around and pounced, latching his claws into the blue dragon's skin.

With a heave, Sky had him pinned. The animal yelped and tried to squirm away, but teeth clamped around the base of his neck, and he was heaved over to the base of the tree.

Jordan moved away without much thought, but coiled up again so the animal couldn't escape the makeshift prison.

"Wait!" he called, desperately trying to escape. Sky cast him a glare over his wings, tail flicking. "I don't want to hurt any of you. You can let me out, I won't hurt you. I've changed."

"Sky, is this...?"

A bright green dragon, who was most likely Ty, walked over to the fuming Sky. His question was answered with an abrupt nod.

"Come on, hear me out," the animal begged, tail sweeping across the shallow pond, creating ripples. He could hardly move, too cramped in the small space to even stand. "I've changed."

Sky growled and whipped around, teeth bared. "That's bull crap! How have you changed? Prove it!"

"Well, I haven't tried to attack any of you, have I?"

Sky's mouth slowly closed and he listened as the animal went on.

"I've been dead for the past year, Sky, with nothing to do but talk to the freaking moon and sun! Nobody's said a word to me, not one word, and I think the Aether has some sort of goodness spell."

At this, they all cast a glance towards Bodil, Baki, and Simon. The white and blue one shifted uncomfortably and said, "The Aether the dead go to, and the Aether that we used to live in are two separate places. The one he was in was a place only the gods, a few angel Ministers, and any soul that's passed up to it. Most people find peace there, apparently, or at least have a change of heart..." He shrugged.

Sky looked back at the animal, who was huddled unhappily against the wooden stairs. This squid, the one that looked so vulnerable and nearly... _innocent, _had caused him so much pain. He had nearly killed his friends, he had used all of them, and he had tried to turn Sky against everybody. But suddenly, he comes down from the Aether because of a silly spell that was 'supposed' to bring everyone together.

"Please? I do not even have a name…"

Sky swallowed back his pity and glared.

"I could crush him," Jordan said suddenly, getting a strange gleam in his white eyes. He coiled tighter around the tree, blocking the animal from view. "I could, right now."

"It's up to you, Sky," Mitch said form the top of Jerome's new tree. "I mean, it would be getting rid of an enemy."

And suddenly, the precious balance of life and death was tossed into Sky's hands. He felt it weigh him down, sagging his wings and shoulders. He sighed, head drooping slightly, and after a long pause said, "If it's a name you want, I could give you one."

Jordan grumbled something and uncurled, going over to lie next to his children. The animal perked up, a grin flashing wide across his muzzle. "Oh, really? You're going to let me out? And give me a name?"

Sky nodded slightly, padding over to him as he escaped from the prison. "Yeah," he muttered, "yeah, I guess."

"Sky, are you sure—"

"I'm not gonna kill someone who hasn't done anything wrong… Yet. Look, squid, I don't trust you. Not yet, and probably not ever. You'll have to stay with one of us constantly—"

"Not me," almost everyone muttered as he said this.

Sky paused and sighed, visibly drooping. "You'll have to stay with me constantly, just to make sure you don't do anything."

"Yes, yes," the animal quickly assured, nodding his head. "But my name?"

Sky glanced around, and everyone conveniently found something to do. His stomach growled slightly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten at all today. His mind immediately jumped to his favorite food: "Your name's Calamari."

And if the animal knew what calamari was, he didn't show it. Instead, he did a little jump and sat right back down, grinning like mad. "I like that name. I really do. Thank you, thank you."

Maybe this won't be as such a bad idea as Sky thought it was.

* * *

**Sorry for not updating yesterday, guys. I was busy working on other stuff. But eh, whatever. This chapter's a fairly decent length. ****So, as you can tell, the poll's result was Calamari. Personally, I think it's hilarious (and kind of mean). But hey, at least our 'precious' animal has a name. And you need to remember that he's _literally _three months old (not including the year that he's been dead). **

**I need to know something, guys. I need to know who I'm missing, youtuber-wise. I'm disorganized, with everybody, and it's such a large group. So if I don't mention anybody, just remember that they _are _there, I just can't fit them in. Except Jason. He's not in the jungle. He's somewhere else, and that'll be shown in the next chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed, guys. Leave a review, tell me what you think. We'll get them to travel soon enough, I promise. just give me a few chapters of playing around, and then I'll get this freak show on the road. Thanks for reading, and stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Beliefs**

"Alright, Breakfast, come on."

Ant dragged an unwilling Breakfast away from Seto. "You got him."

Seto painfully picked himself up off the ground, thankful that his scales had deflected any attacks from any claws or teeth. There was sure to be some sort of bruising, though, and his left wing ached from where the Celestial had coiled around him, which had flattened it to his side at an awkward angle.

Gordy was cowering against a house, trying to make himself invisible among a few yellow-flowered bushes. "Is it quite over?" he asked, peering out through his webbed fingers. "I do not like it when people fight, can you stop now?"

Seto nodded and rolled his shoulders, rubbing a wrist. "Yeah. Come on out, Gordy." He turned back to Ant. "Look, I know you and Jordan don't get along, but we really need to have everyone in a group."

Ant's tail twitched, and the dangerous blade on the end dug into the earth. After a long pause, he sighed and said, "Fine. But you're coming with me."

Seto nodded and lifted his wings slightly. "Alright, but we need to go get Jason."

Gordy quickly clambered back onto his head, claws digging into his fur for balance. Seto bunched his muscles and jumped, snapping out his wings and pumping them. At first, he dropped, but then he went soaring into the sky. He could hear the heavy beats of Ant's wings behind him.

"Seto, why is this Jason away from everybody?"

Seto shrugged, but that made his flight dip and he made a mental note to never shrug while flying. "He's not like everyone else. And he's probably talking to his sister."

"Since when does he have a sister?" Gordy inquired, fins rising in curiosity.

"Since always, apparently," Seto muttered, and slowed when Jason came into sight. His armor shown in the light, nearly blinding the airborne dragons. He was curled around a girl, who looked to be in her mid-twenties. He was talking to her quietly, voice low, but when Ant's shadow passed over him, he looked up.

Seto, being the smallest dragon, landed on a tree in front of Jason. It wobbled dangerously and Seto had to try numerous times to catch his balance. "We're heading over to Jordan's," Seto called, wings jerking out to prevent him from falling when the tree shifted again. "Ant can give you a ride, if you can't fly."

Jason lifted his head indignantly, bowing so his sister, Cambriel, could climb onto his back. He bunched his muscles up, then easily leaped into the air. And there he stayed, flying in the exact same fashion Breakfast was. "Who said I needed a ride?" he asked Seto good-naturedly, grinning.

Seto refrained from shrugging and smiled instead. "Alright, let's go"

[...]

When they got there, Jordan gave them a very, _very _'warm' welcome. Literally.

He arched his neck, rearing onto his hind legs, and threw open his jaws. His sides swelled with a deep breath, and his chest rumble with a deep, rolling growl. Seto shouted and tucked din his wings, nearly landing on top of Jason. Just as he did so, bright, white-hot _lightning _shot towards Ant. He rolled out of the way, though, and it spanned out into the sky. A moment later, thunder rolled in their ears.

Breakfast had shot down into a tree, winding around it like beads on a Christmas tree. Ant quickly dropped down to join him, perching on several trees.

"Are you _crazy_?" Sky shouted, standing up, mane dripping with water. Any dragons near the lake were thoroughly soaked; Husky and Calamari had booted it into the water the moment Jordan had sat up, and the former of the two was bobbing at the surface, orange cheek-fins drooping guiltily.

"No, this is not okay," Jordan hissed, turning his bright gaze onto Seto, who landed haphazardly on a treetop. "You said nothing of _him _being here."

Seto hunched his shoulders, resisting the urge to growl. "Jordan, like it or not, you guys are going to have to put up with each other."

"If he does that one more time," Ant growled, one wing bringing Breakfast close to his side, "then I'm out of this stupid journey."

Jordan rumbled threateningly, and he started taking in a deeper breath. Seto moved to interrupt them, but this time, surprisingly, it was Gordy.

"By Notch, demigod! Are you freaking _stupid_? We'll need him as much as we'll need you. There are at least three of us here that can't fly, and you two are the only ones big enough to carry them! And unless you want to carry the watermelon, and the squid, _and _Husky, then go on ahead and electrocute him!" Gordy's fins were raised, making him look bigger than he was. His wings were half-unfurled, curling slightly. "We are leaving tomorrow, in one group! And if any of you object, then you'll be left behind! Jordan, I'm _sure _that you'll let everyone go unattended in your jungle."

Jordan's ears lie flat against his head for a moment, but the small dragon's words had their affect on him. "Fine," he said, obviously trying hard to smooth his ruffled temper. "We're leaving in the morning."

With this, he turned away and went to talk to his children.

[…]

Sky sighed and settled down on the bank, curling into a ball and tucking his nose under his tail. Suddenly, warmth pressed against his back. He lifted his head and looked down at Calamari, who blinked and looked up at him.

Sky frowned and shifted away, folding his wings closer. But the squid only shifted and laid down next to him again. The gold and grey dragon started to heave a sigh, but then he heard it: Soft purring, rolling in waves from Calamari's throat.

He lifted his head again and looked down at the blue dragon, frowning slightly. His navy eyes were shut, and his head set on his paws. His tail swished slightly, fins folding in and out.

Sky swallowed and growled softly, turning away and setting his head on his paws. "Whatever," he muttered.

[…]

Jordan grunted when Cherry crawled up onto his back. She curled at the base of his neck, wings draping off.

Soon to join her was Tiberi, and then Snowy got fed up with not having enough room on her papa's back. She stood and made her way up to his head, curling into a ball in the fur.

He sighed and lifted a wing, letting Oteri and Corari shift closer. Solari, though, was snuggling up with Agnus, away from both of their parents. His absence was noted and Jordan made a mental note to talk to him later.

Snowy shifted on his head, and a small stream of lava ran down the back of his head. One of Jordan's ears twitched and he sighed, closing his eyes. In doing so, it cut off any light source that any of the dragons were using.

"Goodnight, guys," he whispered softly, back rising and falling slowly. Soon enough, the family of six were asleep.

[…]

"Ker," Seto murmured, "do you think I shouldn't have done this?"

_"I do not know, wizard."_

Seto sighed and crossed his paws, setting his chin on them and staring up at the crescent moon. He was well away from anyone, and Gordy was asleep. The little dragon was tucked up against his side, curled into a ball. "I mean, everybody's unhappy, but they'd be like that anyway. I can't help but think that they're even angrier with what I've done."

Kerberos sighed and said, _"Seto, what you did was stupidly clever. I have no douvts that this will work."_

"Well—"

"Seto?" Gordy lifted his head and rubbed one tired eye. "Who are you talking to?"

"Just myself, Gordy," Seto quickly said, having a strange urge to keep Kerberos' existence form the little squid. The smaller dragon yawned, red tongue flicking out, and stood. He clambered up onto Seto's back and quickly made his way to his head, curling up in between the horns.

"As long as you aren't answering yourself, it's fine," he murmured, closing his eyes. He sighed and fell quiet.

For a while, the two just laid there. Seto assumed that Gordy had fallen back to sleep, and was just nodding off himself, when the little squid spoke.

"She really is beautiful, isn't she?"

Seto opened his eyes and hummed. "Huh?"

"The moon," Gordy answered drowsily, yawning again. His shifted slightly, tail curling around one of Seto's horns. "Ms. Moon, what we squids call her. And there's Mr. Sun, and then Oceanus and Natura."

"I'm not familiar with the last two," Seto said, tail moving to curl around his side. "Explain?"

"Well, what we believe, is that in the beginning, there were four Fates. Light, Dark, Natura, and Oceanus. They battled constantly, always fighting over who should have the most power. There was nothing, really, and there was no earth or lands or plants or animals. There was only the emptiness that was the Void. The Void was their father, but he never said a word.

"Eventually, though, he got tired of their constant arguing. So he stole Natura and Oceanus away, putting them together to make the world. He made Light into the sun, and Dark into the moon. Jealous of Mr. Moon's beauty, her brother chased her round and round in the sky, creating day and night.

"Meanwhile, Natura and Oceanus were creating the world. As their brother and sister played their little game of ring around the rosies, they were actually useful. Oceanus made the water, which formed into a ball. Mr. Sun realized that there was no land on the newly formed planet, and he rose up islands and mountains and everything. The moon filled the empty space with plants, and her sister made the animals. And the Void went to sleep, comforted that his children were finally getting along."

Seto hummed and looked up at the moon, letting the little dragon's story sink in for a moment. "What about the gods? Where do they come in to play?"

"They—" Gordy yawned, "They were the first humans ever created, and were given massive power. That way, the four siblings could rest easy and let them take over. But I do not believe in them, even though I use the main one's name when I'm angry. What about you, sorcerer?"

Seto bit his lip and thought for a moment. He had solid proof that te gods existed, and what Gordy said was blasphemous. But it didn't bother him much.

"Well… The tale I believe in starts out very similar to yours. The Void created the two Fates, Dark and Light. He made Dark the moon, and Light the sun. They fought constantly, and he finally got fed up with them. He tossed them apart, to opposite ends of his realm. But slowly, they came back together. This time, though, they created the world as we know it. The sun created the land, the water, the volcanoes, and the islands. The moon created life, with plants and all sorts of animals. They made separate dimensions, with dark beasts and fiery beasts, and finally, the gods."

_"And then the moon created the shadows of the gods," _Kerberos added in his mind, tone sad. _"She created me, and the others. She took great pride in her work, Seto, because her brother had shown her up in creating the gods."_

Seto had fallen silent, and so had Gordy. He blinked and stared at the moon, then finally said, "Gordy?"

But Gordy was asleep, and he only earned a slight murmur from the squid. Seto smiled softly and closed his own eyes. "Well, Kerberos, I'm glad she made you."

_"... Thank you, wizard."_

* * *

**So there. Two separate beliefs, one from a squid and one from a sorcerer. Which one do you choose to believe? Either of them could be right, or both of them could be wrong.**

**Hope you enjoyed, everyone. Sorry this was a little short, but I wanted to update today. And can you believe it? I'm almost already halfway to my goal of 30k words! I think I'll just… Up it to 50k, maybe, once I reach 30. So yeah. I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Stay awesome, guys, and thanks for reading.**

**-Cold**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - Familiars**

"Sky, for the last time, it would be easier for to just tuck your legs up and-"

"No! I can fly how I want to freaking fly. Just because you know how to fly, doesn't mean I have to... I don't know where I was going with that." Sky sighed and shook his head, sending a glare over to Agnus. "And besides, what does it matter? I'm flying."

The Ender dragon just shook her head and turned away, opting to just ignore him.

Just like Jordan (Gordy) ordered, they had set out at dawn. Seto had peeled away from the group, saying he needed to get something from his house.

Ant was taking up the rear of the group, carrying Bashur and a sleeping Husky. Jordan had a very unhappy Ryan, who was trying to ignore Calamari, who was definitely a talker. So far, the demigod's mood seemed to have been tamed from the night's sleep.

Seto came back just as they were passing over their neighborhood. He wore a series of buckles and leather straps thrown over his neck and wings. It buckled in front and behind his forelegs with copper buckles. There was a thin sheet of netting woven onto the straps, with several pocket-like things woven into that.

"What's that for?" Jason Bodil called, being the first one to notice that Seto was back. He, Baki, Nitam, and Simon, were flying in a loose V-formation, and were much more graceful than the others.

"For carrying things," Seto answered, fiddling with it and tucking the silver idol safely into a pocket. "Anything we need, I can carry. I made it for Agnus a year ago when she was complaining of not being able to carry things, but she grew out of it."

Bodil nodded and turned back to Nitram. Suddenly, Sky dropped out of the group, spiraling down to his house. "I'll be right back. Let me go get something."

Immediately, Calamari jumped to his feet. "Let me come!" he shouted.

"Sit down!" Jordan snapped, tucking in his wings and dropping a few feet, effectively making the squid lie back down. He pouted and went to picking at a loose scale on his right arm, fins drooping.

A few minutes later, Sky came back. A few minutes later, Sky came back. Coils of black and gold were pooled on his back, sharp golden claws hanging on to his scales. He said nothing about it, as if it was completely normal.

But Nitram didn't think it was. And, as everyone else ignored it, he dropped out of their little formation and went back to fly above Sky. "Ah! You have a familiar? Oh, you are lucky."

This earned the attention of the other angels, and their formation broke apart so they could fly above Sky. They shot him question after question, about how he got the 'familiar' or how it acted, or what it did.

"Seto, what's a familiar?" Gordy asked, voice low enough so nobody else would hear. "Because the way they're talking, it seems like something I should know."

"A familiar... Um, a little creature that usually follows someone around."

"That sounds like a stalker, to me."

At that, Seto laughed. He shook his head slightly, glancing over at Sky. "No. They're useful, most of the time. They're able to do things normal people can't."

"So what is that thing on his back? Is it his familiar? You said they were small. Do all familiars look like that?"

"Well, some can be bigger than that one. Say, a familiar could be a, uh, a fairy. Or, you know, an insect. Some can be lizards, or some mythical creature."

"Trolls?" Gordy asked, sniffing and wiping a hand across his snout. The wind was cold and he we obviously uncomfortable.

"Well, trolls aren't that useful. They really only steal things, like socks, but-"

"I would like to meet a troll, someday. I think it would be cool. Do you think, if I meet one and it likes me, that it will become my familiar?"

Seto lifted a paw instead of shrugging, and dropped it. "Well, Gordy, you don't just 'get' a familiar. It's usually passed down through the family, or cursed onto you."

Gordy hummed in disappointment and sighed, shifting. "Well, I could at least give it a shot."

"Guys, just leave me alone," Sky snapped, trying to dip away from the smaller group of angels.

"Oh come on, Sky," Bodil chuckled, grinning slightly. "Just let us see her. Who made her?"

"Made her?" Sky bristled, growling. "I-"

"Yram never would make me a familiar," Nitram put in, flipping away when Sky's tail lashed. "I begged her and begged her. And so did Nomis and Ikab. Once, I saw Thsog try and get one from her, but she refused. I do not think she liked us very much."

"Mary? We know her, too. She used to make a lot of familiars, but one day she just stopped. It was, like, two hundred years ago. No, wait... Simon, how-"

"One-hundred, ninety nine," Simon said curtly, still obviously not pleased with Bodil. He pumped his wings and swooped away. Baki shrugged and fell back behind him, creating the first arm of the V-formation.

But this time, Bodil shook his head and fell back, going over to fly next to Mitch and Jerome. Nitram gave the black 'familiar' one more wistful glance before darting over to talk to Calamari.

Seto sighed and looked away, shoulders sagging slightly. "They'll need to learn," he muttered, "to put up with each other. And if this spell doesn't work, then throw me into the Nether and bury me alive."

"No, please don't do that," Gordy said, overhearing him. "I wouldn't like that at all."

Seto smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Gordy. It'll work."

[...]

"We missed our chance," Jerald snarled, tossing his binoculars down as the dragons flew away overhead.

May hummed sadly, foot tapping. "And here I thought this plan of yours would work, dragon."

The blue dragon behind then chuckled, which rolled into a growl. **_"They'll need to fly over a sea in a few hours. I have already sent word to my army, and now it is just a race for that other relic. A race that they don't know about."_**

After a moment of silence, he chuckled again. **_"The sorcerer was very foolish."_**

And suddenly, a blue dragon bounded over to them from the forest. He bowed and presented a map, giving a soft, warbling praise to the king in an unknown language. Derpsolu took it, spreading it out on the ground. He tapped a claw on a sea, a good two hundred miles north. **_"We have a barricade in the air set up here, already," _**he explained to the two humans, who were hardly bigger than one of his claws.

"So we jus' gonna get 'em?"

Derpsolu paused, green-blue hand still hovering over the map. He sighed and sat back, darker colored tail wrapping around his paws. He had a heavy dusting of light blue-green, speckled with aquamarine spots. The blue and aqua webbing on his head, back, and tail rose slightly with each breath he took. His wings were neatly tucked up against his sides, fingers at the main joint curling slightly. **_"Which ones did you want?"_**

Jerald spoke up, eyes glancing back and forth from the map to his sketch of it. "The grey and gold one, with the large wings; the Celestial that hangs around the larger brown and grey one; the female purple and silver one, who you said was a sorceress? That's all that we need."

**_"Why not get one of the larger ones?" _**Derpsolu prompted, sending the smaller squid-turned-dragon away. **_"I am fairly certain I could take the black one on. I am about his size."_**

May cast her gaze over him, doubtful. "Are ya sure, dude? Ya look a bit scrawny."

The fins rose in aggravation, and he growled. **_"I have brains, human. He would just blindly charge into battle, if one of his 'friends' were to be hurt. Here's the plan: we get the smallest of the dragons, the sorceress, and use her as bait to goad him towards us. And there, my army and I will swam him. If we get him under the water, there's a chance we could drown him or subdue him. And once he's down, we could use both of them as hostages."_**

"Wait, wait, wait! No killing, unless it's absolutely necessary. Dragons are going extinct left and right, we can't afford any fatalities." Jerald quickly came over, standing at the edge of the giant map and raising his hands in the universal 'STOP' gesture.

"Then we'll wound 'im and make 'im crippled, or somethin'. Jerald, our precious _king, _here, won' just stab us in the back. We all want the same thing, right? So we just go along with his plan. And besides, he's the one with all the army and stuff."

Derpsolu nodded, rumbling deep in his chest. **_"Do not worry, small human, I will not hurt a hair on his head."_**

[...]

"Seto," Jordan called, turning his head around to face the sorcerer. "You do know we'll be crossing over a sea pretty shortly, right? We could make faster time if we just crossed over it."

Seto turned to glance at the others, frowning slightly. They had been flying for a good three hours by now, and almost everybody was starting to complain about food. Bodil and Baki had swooped down on a few farms a while back, but had quickly abandoned the idea of stealing when angry ranchers and shepherds chased after them when they landed. And, despite being twelve ton dragons, had easily backed down and shot back into the air. The two had yet to stop grumbling about their failed attempt at hunting.

"Jordan, we might need to go around," Seto said after a moment, looking back at the white-eyed demigod. Jordan's shoulders visibly slumped, and Husky had to scramble further onto his back to keep from sliding off.

Corari had finally gotten fed up with riding Oteri, and Jordan was carrying him in his arms, protectively cradled to his chest.

Gordy suddenly scrambled onto Seto's head, using his hair as footholds. "What sea is it?" he asked, peering out into the horizon. From their advantage of height, they could make out the shimmer of water.

"The Sea of Good Luck, I think," Seto answered, looking over at Jordan. The demigod nodded and said, "I passed by it in the Hexxit world. There's an extreme hills biome jst beyond it. We could rest there for the night."

But Gordy instantly shook his head, fins lowering in horror. "Oh no," he said, "we don't want to go anywhere near it. It holds one of my father's kingdoms, and there are bound to be squids there."

Sky flew up, suddenly. And, having been listening to their conversation, said, "Gordy, we could eat the squids in one bite. They aren't gonna be much of a bother to us."

"But what if the spell affected them, too? It affected me, and I was dead!"

Seto shook himself and sighed. Gordy yelped and slid down onto his back, clinging tightly.

"We'll be fine," Sky assured, giving a strong pump of his wings and gliding a short distance. "I promise, Gordy. Nothing bad's going to happen."

* * *

**There's a reference in here, and I'll make it clear in a few chapters. It's with Derpsolu, but that all the hint you guys will get. And just so you know, the 'familiar' I mentioned earlier with Sky was the monster under his bed. You didn't think I'd leave her behind, did you?**

**Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading, everyone. it means a lot to me, and I truly hope you guys like what I do. Stay awesome guys, I love you all.**

**-Cold**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Hydra**

"Demon, demon go down."

"What did you call me?" Jordan growled, glaring at Calamari out of the corner of his eye.

"Demon, please just go down."

"I'm not a demon. Don't call me that."

The squid shot him a glare, inching even closer to the empty space on his shoulders. He hung his head over Jordan's side, staring down. "Then what are you?"

"I'm..."

"Seto! Seto, go down there!" Gordy was suddenly tugging at one of the sorcerer's horns, pointing into the dark forest with a wing.

Jordan glanced over at the two and frowned. "Why do you guys want to go down there, anyway?"

"There's something there," Husky said suddenly, standing up on Ant's back. "I can hear it."

"Please, Seto, just go down for a moment. It'll only be a few seconds, I swear," Gordy begged, leaning dangerously. Seto quickly reached up and snatched the squid off his head in fear of him falling. "Gordy, I-"

Bodil hummed suddenly, swooping down. "Guys, it sounds like..."

"I hear it to," Baki murmured, ears pricking up. And suddenly, the other angels dropped down to skim over the forest. "Bodil, why would an aerwhale be down here?"

Bodil shrugged and dropped, folding his wings in and landing on a tree. He stuck his head below the leaves and climbed down a bit until only the tip of his tail was visible. After a moment, his head popped back up. "The noise stopped, but this looks like a good spot to stay. These trees are all connected, and there's enough space for Jordan and Ant to fit." With that, he ducked back down.

Nitram dropped down, nearly on top of him, and started making his way to the ground. Baki shrugged and went after the two, soon followed by Simon.

Gordy had grown very, very still. His head cocked slightly, tilting back and forth. Finally, he said, "He's right; the noise has stopped. But still, Seto, you should follow them. I want to see what was making it."

Jordan spoke up suddenly, flying in circles. "We should move on. I don't like this place."

"For once, I'll agree with you, Jordan," Ant said, flying in the same, slow circles so he wouldn't drop his passengers when he hovered. "I can feel it in my gut."

"No, no, no," Calamari said, fins rising. "We are going down there." He stood again, edging towards Jordan's shoulders, effectively making Ryan huddle even closer to the center of Jordan's back.

Gordy twisted suddenly, trying to escape Seto's grasp. "The noise is starting up again! Please, Seto, let us go see it!"

Seto sighed and thought for a moment, then finally turned to drop down onto a tree. "Fine," he muttered, letting Gordy get onto his back again. "But you're staying with me."

This seemed to be the deciding factor of the group, and one after the other they dropped down. Ant landed first, letting Bashur and Husky climb off before struggling off the treetops.

"I still don't like it," Jordan muttered, but landed on the trees. Ryan slid off, shaking like a leaf, and quickly made his way to the forest floor.

"You are just like your father," Calamari said as he jumped off and onto the trees. "Stubborn, right? You trust your instincts more than rational thought, right? _Exactly _like your father."

Jordan stared at the squid as he quickly went down to ground level. After a moment, he shook his head and pried apart two trees, dropping down. Bodil squawked and fluttered away, once again almost crushed by the demigod. "Hey, watch it! I'm not even near your tree this time."

Jordan growled at him, baring his teeth, and turned to look at his surroundings.

Like Bodil had said, the space beneath the trees was truly massive. They were big enough that Jordan didn't have to crane his neck when he stood. The trunks were surprisingly few and far between, connected by thick branches weaved together overhead. It would have been a perfect place to make camp, all except for the marshy ground.

Nitram was currently pulling himself out of a mud pool, scales dripping with thick, wet globs of greenish muck. He was making quite a ruckus about it, too, roaring in protest. Bodil was quick to bound over and help him out of the mud pit.

But Husky was already half-submerged into the pool, fins drooping in relaxation. Calamari was trying to tug Sky in, saying it was one of the best things in the world.

"The mud pits were created by Oceanus and Natura, together, so amphibians and fish would have a place to flee to if something ever went wrong. They are very warm, Sky, feel! It isn't bad, come on." And with that, Sky just shook himself and took to the air, flying up to hang on a few branches. Calamari huffed and dipped into the pool, up to his eyes in the muck.

Gordy was tensed, head swiveling in different directions. He breathed a sigh and whispered, "Seto, these are sacred grounds. Calamari is right; the two fates have blessed this land."

"Blessed?" Jerome spat, shaking muck off one of his paws. His fur was clotted with the gunk, hissing. It hardly looked pleasant for him, with his heavy coat. "More like cursed."

Seto shook his head, smiling slightly. He looked back at Gordy, unfolding a wing as a bridge. "I guess if it's that special to you, you can go in the mud. But count me out."

As Gordy joyfully hopped off his back and into the mud, Seto huddled closer to the gigantic root he was perched on. He went to studying his friends and his surroundings.

A frog croaked. Simon leaped away from Bodil as he neared. A monkey hooted somewhere in the distance. Jason shot a glare at Ty as the green dragon passed by to get to a different root. A fish splashed in one of the pools made up of water. Breakfast was staring at him with a strange glint in his eyes.

Seto stared back at the Celestial, somehow calm and undeterred. Breakfast's lilac eyes narrowed, and turned away to limp off to Ant. Only then did Seto see the scar, traveling down his right hind leg. He could probably fix that, with a spell or a potion.

And suddenly, a low keening noise sounded. The angelic dragons shot to their feet, glancing around warily. "That's not an aerwhale," Simon muttered softly, dark eyes narrowing slightly.

Gordy sat up, rearing out of the gunk. He looked around, then shrugged and fell back into the mud. "It's the noise that I was talking about," he said, unconcerned. "It sounds like a orca, or maybe a whale."

"Gordy… Orcas and whales don't live in the middle of a swamp," Seto said, but the calmness in his head never left. He wasn't worried—far from it, actually. But suddenly:

_"Seto, get up. Move. Move!"_

Seto shot to his feet, then into the air. He didn't exactly know what was wrong, but the instant after he had moved, the root he had been standing on shifted and snapped up, trying to grab his tail. He yelped and tucked it down, barely dodging the green, vine-like root.

Jordan stood and reared onto his hind legs, snapping his teeth around the root that had suddenly wrapped around his forelegs. Suddenly, the soft whale-like noise sharpened into a screech.

_"Seto, it's not the swamp. It's—"_

And suddenly, a bright green monster burst up from the ground, sending water and mud flying. It screeched again, thirteen heads waving wildly. Its two tails, both tipped with pink, razor-like spines, snapped through the air. With a _shink, _blade erupted from beneath its thin scales. Purple and pink darts shot outward, harmlessly clinking off Jordan's scales.

It roared and turned one of its eyeless head towards the demigod. The monster's head was split with a horizontal mouth that wrapped around almost all of its head. Soft pink made up nearest to the mouth, which darkened to emerald before jumping into bright neon green. The being hissed dangerously, all thirteen heads opening their mouths. Dark yellow tongues, the color of a burnt sun, slid around the strange, pink spines lining the inside of its mouths.

With a roaring keen, the being leaped all the way out of the water and jumped onto Jordan. The demigod hissed, sides swelling and thunder rolling through his chest.

"Don't you _dare_, Jordan!" Ant called, standing up. "You'll electrocute us all!"

This made Jordan's mouth snap shut, and whatever gasses he had been building in his throat were swallowed. He coughed and shook his head, twisting under the beast's weight. He clawed at it, sharp black talons leaving long, deep fissures in its soft scales. Dark maroon blood oozed out of the cuts and the monster screeched again, coiling its slinky body away. After a moment of pause, it fled to a nearby tree, climbing up into the branches by using its frog-like legs.

_"Seto, it is a hydra. You know how to kill a hydra, right?"_

"Um… Maybe?"

_"Great. Let me have a turn."_

"No!" Seto whispered, hovering in the air. He turned in a circle, warily watching the trees shake with the hydra's weight. "Not around everybody else. Not everyone knows about you."

_"Don't you think it's just time to accept that you're stuck with me for the rest of your life? Seto, I'm never going away. I can't leave, or you'll die. You need to remember that you're still cursed. You're technically dead, right now."_

"Ker, please just let me think."

Suddenly, the beast leaped out again. It sailed over Calamari and tackled Ian, thirteen heads keening and whistling like a dolphin. One of its heads had strange, waving tendrils running down its neck. The tendrils were dark green, and tipped with a purple. Green speckles ran down its body to the base of the two tails, along with the tendrils. "That's the main head," Seto muttered to himself, watching as it stayed well away from any claws. Mitch jumped onto the hydra's back, snapping his jaws down on the base of one of the slender necks.

Seto gasped and moved to pull him off, clamping his claws under Mitch's wings and pulling him back. "Mitch, no!"  
But with a sickening snap and crunch, the neck broke and the head fell to the ground, dead. Mitch shrugged Seto away and went for another head, grinning at his victory.

Snap, crunch, dead.

Snap, crunch, dead.

"Mitch, you idiot!" Seto hissed, but suddenly Bashur was up on the hydra's back, hacking away at a head with his long, sharp talons.

Snap, crunch, dead.

And only when the first stump from a head twitched, did they stop. Ian beat the monster away with his wings, flying over to cling to a tree trunk. They all watched in horrified silence as two heads split up from the body, peeling the green skin away and quickly growing scales. Four more heads sprung up, and what was once a thirteen-headed hydra was now a nineteen-headed terror.

_"My turn."_

And suddenly, Kerberos lunged towards the surface, shoving Seto away. They fell out of the air as their muscles locked up from the switch, landing halfway in a mud pit. But then Seto was rudely stuffed into the farthest corner of their mind.

Kerberos reared up suddenly, any purple scales shimmering into silver. She tensed her muscles and leaped, flying up to one of the hydra's heads. _"Cut its heads off," _she called to them, flying circles around the main head. _"Then burn the stumps so they won't grow back. Agnus, get anyone who looks like they'll be able to breathe fire. Demon, champion, hold the hydra down. Sky, get the squids and Husky out of the ponds—don't let them near it anymore."_

And maybe it was just her tone, or maybe it was the way nobody else had anything better to do, but they instantly burst into action.

Jordan hurried over and collapsed on top of the plant, struggling to stay away from its biting fangs. Ant went and helped in holding it down. Agnus came over, hovering next to the now-silver dragon. She cast Kerberos a slight glare, but inhaled deeply and got ready to blast the hydra with flame.

Jason came forward and coiled around three of the necks, choking the plant-like monster. One of the heads suddenly toppled over, black erosion creeping up its body. Agnus took one final breath, flinging her jaws open and snapping her tongue across the roof of her mouth.

Violet flames shot out, and Jason bolted away so he wouldn't get burned. The hydra screeched when the fire washed over the stump, but the skin melted together with a stomach-churning sizzling sound.

Jordan lifted a paw and quickly snipped one head off, letting Agnus wash it over with fire. The hydra twisted suddenly, tail snapping up. The spines shot out and hit a tree, sticking into it. Calamari jumped up onto the beast, snapping at its main neck. Two heads swiveled around and bit at him, but Sky was suddenly there to deflect the blows. He hacked at them, slicing one off.

Suddenly, he felt something build at the back of his throat. He coughed and smoke trailed out of the corner of his mouth. The heat rose and he did the only thing he could do: he opened his jaws and let loose the bright, gold and orange flames.

The stink of burning flesh was quick to fill their senses. Calamari bit at the main head, scrambling up its slinky neck to gouge its eyes out. The thing screeched when its left eye was ripped away, and three heads came around. One went forward and bit onto Calamari's shoulders, small teeth lodging into his skin. It yanked him away, tossing him through the air and into a tree.

The tail snapped up, sending more spines towards him. Sky turned slightly, just in time to catch sight of the animal as four of the spines ripped into his shoulder and chest. He cried out, stumbling, and glared at the monster.

Without much attention to the spines, Calamari leaped over Bashur and jumped onto the head again.

Kerberos watched him for a moment, shoulders sagging slightly. She sighed and shook her head and looked over at Agnus as she let loose another jet of flame. She turned back and waited for another head to be ripped off, this one by Jerome, and took a deep breath. Kerberos opened her mouth and breathed out a bright array of silver.

Three heads left.

A snap, a crunch, then dead.

Make that two.

The main head swung back and forth, desperately trying to throw Calamari off. The last remaining head was finally cut off with a sickening crunch.

Calamari reached up, gripping the hydra's last head in between his webbed paws. With shaking muscles, he jerked it to the side. It snapped and the entire thing fell, dead.

Kerberos watched them, hovering above the group as they rejoiced in their small victory. She turned her attention to Calamari, who was limping over to a tree root, staying off his left front leg. _"Seto," _she murmured, _"watch him."_

And with that, she dropped down onto a root and let Seto back into his own body.

_"I am going to sleep."_

Seto stumbled slightly, the coloring of his scales coming back. He looked around, at Jordan going towards one side of the group and Ant to the other; at Sky as he carefully made his way over to Calamari; at Gordy who was clambering up to him.

The little squid climbed up onto his back wordlessly, settling at the base of Seto's neck. For a while, all of them just collected themselves. A few people started moving the hydra's body away. Seto shifted and went to help, shoving a head out of their clearing with the help of Husky.

"That was crazy, man," the amphibian said as they were walking back to their 'camp'. Seto glanced at him. "The hydra?"

"No, that weird thing you did with you scales, and the silver fire thing."

Seto hummed and fell silent. When they got back to the group, Seto left Husky and flew up to the branches. He shifted a few vines out of the way and made a comfortable alcove in the tree, curling up and settled down. "Gordy, do you know what was wrong with that hydra?"

Gordy shifted and slid down to lay at his side. "It seemed sick," he said softly, fins drooping slightly. "I think something was wrong with it."

Seto nodded and looked down at the group, blinking.

"It was really cool, what you did with that curse thing. I didn't know your fire would be silver. Do you think everybody's fire or whatever relates to their coloring, too?"

"I don't know," Seto said, staring at Calamari."There's…"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing."

[…]

"Hey, are you alright?"

Calamari nodded, painfully pulling out one of the spines. He hissed and dropped it, then turned away and left the other three in there. "It hurts too much to pull them out," he admitted, fins flattening.

"Oh, um… Do you need help?"

Calamari shook his head and reached back, gently gripping another spine in his teeth.

Sky frowned slightly and turned away, going over to talk with Jordan, who was gathering his children together. "Hey, dude."

"What?"

"Um…" Sky looked down at his feet for a moment, then glanced over at Snowy, who was settling into the hair on top of Jordan's head. "Thanks?"

"You're welcome," Jordan said gruffly, setting his head down and curling away. Corari climbed up onto his back, lying across the base of his neck. Oteri shifted and lay down; Jordan's tail warped around him protectively. Sky sighed and turned away, padding back over to Calamari.

The squid looked pale, color drained from his cheeks. He yanked the last spine out, spitting it onto the moss. Blood oozed from his wounds, but he didn't move to do anything. Instead, he just laid his head down on a paw and shut his eyes.

"Cala… Hey, Cal… Dude, are you sure you're okay?"

One navy blue eye slid halfway open, and for a moment they just stared at each other. It occurred to Sky that he hadn't breathed one nice word to the squid since he had been alive.

"Yeah… Y-yeah, I'm okay," Calamari said hoarsely, setting a paw over his nose. "It was just- just a scratch. Nothing much. I'll be better by morning."

"Oh, okay…." Sky sighed and plopped down next to him, but far enough away not to be touching him. "You, uh… You did good, fighting that monster."

He expected a response, or maybe at least a hum, but he received nothing. He looked over at Calamari, only to find him asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Venom**

Sky stared at Calamari for a moment, then sighed and looked away. The monster came over to him, slinking out from between two roots. She quickly padded over and curled next to his side. She set her head on one of his arms and warbled, blinking her four eyes. _"Sky…?"_

Sky nodded and sighed again, laying his head down. "It's alright, he'll be fine. I'm sure he's just tired."

There was a giant splash suddenly, flinging greenish-brown water over them. Sky hissed and sat up, wiping water off his wings. "Husky, what was that for?"

The amphibian came to the surface of the pool with a large, leathery catfish wriggling in his jaws. He looked over, fins rising in a silent question. He waded over to the small, sandy bank and set the fish down, placing one paw over it. "Huh? I was just catching dinner. These ponds are full of fish, you know."

Sky frowned slightly and stood, shaking any water off his hide before padding over to the bank. The ponds with actual water in them could probably fit him, Calamari, and Husky without seeming cramped, and there were about three in the clearing. They were surrounded by silky, bluish sand unlike the mud pits, which were mostly sheltered in between the roots of the trees.

"Really?" Sky asked dubiously, staring into the murky water. Husky nodded and bent his head down, snapping the catfish's head off with a single bite. He left the fish there, turning around to crouch next to Sky.

"Here, sit really still," Husky explained, seeming small against Sky's bulk. He was not a very muscular dragon and was very lanky. And though he was longer than Sky was, he seemed smaller.

Sky looked over, copying his position. He pulled his wings back, flattening them to his sides.

"And when a fish swims by, you swipe at it. Or you could go in the water and herd the fish up to the shore, where it's easy pickings."

"Have you done this before?" Sky asked quietly, staring intently at the water. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Husky nod.

"Yeah. I used to hunt all the time before I met you guys. I still do, sometimes, when I'm too lazy to cook or go out to eat."

Sky reared back, away from the amphibian. "You ate fish _raw_?"

Husky blinked and looked over at him, shrugging. "Yeah. Oh, look, there's one. Be really quiet now…"

Sky stared at him for a moment, then turned back to the water. He watched the catfish swim around the pond. It got closer and closer, and finally Husky said, "Pounce, now."

And so Sky did. He bunched his muscles up, then leaped on top of the fish. Husky laughed and sat back on his haunches, watching as Sky floundered about in the water.

"I got it! I got it!" Sky called, popping to the surface with a small log clamped in his teeth. "I got- … oh."

He tossed the log away, which nearly landed on Jason, and grumpily clambered back up onto the shore, shaking water from his hide. "Whatever," he muttered.

[…]

"Seto, could you take me down to the water?" Gordy asked, nudging the sorcerer awake. "I can get us some food."

Seto groaned and opened his eyes, blinking the sleep from them. "Huh?"

"Fly me down to the ground, please?"

Seto groaned and staggered to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. H hadn't been able to sleep much lately, and he had yet to fall asleep for a good four hours without being interrupted. "Alright, alright."

Gordy clambered onto his back and Seto dropped out of the alcove in the tree, gently gliding down until he landed next to one of the ponds. Gordy was quick to leap off his back and dive into the water. Seto watched the ripples for a moment before collapsing, folding a wing over his head.

"Tired?"

He blinked and nodded wordlessly, but wasn't able to identify who was talking to him.

"I get it," the girl said, and Seto felt suddenly warmth next to him. "Papa always gets really tired too, when he doesn't sleep. Is it nightmares that are keeping you up?"

"No," Seto murmured, lifting his wing to look over at Snowy, who was curled at his side. He watched as fire crackled over her wings, and she smiled.

"No? Then what is it?"

Seto paused for a while, thinking. What was keeping him up? He had plenty of time to, but he just didn't. It had gotten to the point of Kerberos _forcing _him to sleep. "I don't… I don't know."

"Then why don't you just go to sleep? You're surrounded by friends, and…" She paused, frowning softly. "And even though they don't always _act _like they're friends, I know none of them would really, seriously hurt each other. They wouldn't hurt you, and if they did I'm sure I could get Papa to eat them. But… He _did _say he would eat your eyes, when he got stuck in the tree at first. It was quiet funny, watching him try to get out of it."

Seto stared at her or a moment, then slowly looked over at Jordan, who had one white eye open. It was unsure of where he was staring, with no pupil to tell by, but Seto got the chills form the blankness of the gaze. He swallowed thickly and stood suddenly. Snowy fell to her side, having been supported by him, and she quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Are you going?" she asked, tilting her head to stare somewhere near his left horn. Her gaze was like the moon's—milky and unbroken. Seto quickly made an excuse and left, turning and flying up to the alcove he had made.

He could have sworn Jordan's white glare followed him up.

[…]

Soon enough, the dragons that had enough patience to learn how to fish had a pretty large pile of food set up in the clearing. Ant had reached forward and stolen away half of it, at one point, but he had quickly dropped it and shared it with Breakfast when the others had complained.

Seto stared down at them without really seeing. His eyes were dulled with exhaustion, but they remained open. "Kerberos, what's wrong with me?"

_"There's nothing wrong with you. It's only the lack of sleep."_

Seto sighed and glanced over at Jordan, halfway expecting to see the white gaze trained on him, but the demigod was sound asleep. Snowy was curled on his head again, but she was wide awake and staring into space.

"Are you so sure about that?" Seto murmured, shaking his head. "I just… I can't sleep, because I get this strong feeling that if I do, something bad's going to happen."

_"… Since when do you get premonitions?"_

"Since now, I guess… It's probably nothing."

_"That's what the last sorcerer I was with said, and then a chimera ate him."_

Seto hummed and smiled slightly, closing his eyes. "Well, I don't think a chimera is going to eat me, not when I'm its size."

Kerberos chuckled and surfaced slightly, just to see for a moment. Then she fell back to the corner of his mind and said, _"Seto, you might want to go down and check out that squid dragon. I don't want to keep you from sleeping, but I have a hunch that those spines are poisonous."_

Seto sighed slightly and slid form the alcove, dropping down and gliding over to Calamari. The squid was curled up pathetically, alone and secluded from the rest of the group.

"Hey," Seto said, sitting down. One navy eye lid open and turned to look at him.

"Hey…"

"You're sick, aren't you?"

But Calamari just smiled, lifting his head off the ground and raising his fins. "Nah, I'm not. I'm just tired, is all."

Seto hummed, unconvinced. Calamari's smile drooped slightly, and he stood. "Look, I'm perfectly fine. See?"

And with that, he padded away to join Sky in hunting for fish. But he was limping heavily with his left leg, and had to pause halfway to the pond to catch his breath. Tail dragging and fins drooping, he limped over to the shore, where he was basically ignored by almost everyone.

_"He is very sick, Seto. A hydra's poison is known to kill."_

"What should I do?"

_"There's nothing you CAN do without help from modern medicine. Maybe you should ask Ant. Isn't his full name Anti Venom or something?"_

"It's AntVenom," Seto muttered, glancing over to the brown and grey dragon in question. "And no, his name has nothing to do with poison."

_"Oh."_

Seto sighed and turned away from Calamari. "I'm gonna go to bed," he said to nobody, padding over to a root and spreading his wings. But Gordy quickly jumped out of a mud pit, climbing up onto his back and trailing mud prints over his silver and purple scales. Seto just shook himself, flinging mud off his scales, and took off into the air.

He collapsed into his makeshift 'nest' and was almost instantly asleep.

[…]

There was fire.

That was what he knew, and all he knew. He didn't know how he got there, or how the fire started; he just knew that there was fire.

Calamari stumbled around, choking on the thick, black smoke. He panted through his nose, desperately trying to find a way out of the blazing inferno. Fire was not his thing. He did _not _like it, and was terrified of it.

It was too dangerous—too easy to lose control over. It was untamable and could rage through an entire settlement, eating it up and spitting out the embers.

It could kill.

"Sky!" he called and tried to call again, but the smoke invaded his throat and he fell into a coughing fit.

"Sky is not here."

He whipped around, fins rising in fear. There stood a dragon that was the same size as Jordan. He had white eyes, and looked almost identical to the demigod, but it was _not _Jordan.

He knew who it was.

"Wh-where is Sky?"

Herobrine blinked slowly, slowly, and tilted his head to the side. "Do you not remember, squid?"

"My name's Calamari!" he shouted, baring his teeth. "Now tell me where Sk—"

And he was coughing again, doubling over.

"You do not have a name." The teal dragon sat down calmly, tail wrapping around his paws. But his long, dangerously sharp talons were still visible. "You do not deserve a name."

"Tell me where he is!" Calamari was growing desperate by then. Sky had to be alive; he had to be somewhere.

"He is not here."

"He is! I know it! Show me where he is, damn you!" Calamari cried, hopping forward. But Herobrine just stared at him, white gaze cold and icy. Finally, after a long, long silence, he waved his tail and gestured with one giant, purple-tipped wing.

The fire parted, along with the smoke, and Sky's grey and gold body became visible. Calamari felt his fins rise in horror, and he froze. Sky should not have been that still. He should have gotten to his feet and rushed over to him. He should have complained about the fire. He should have looked over at Calamari. He should have been _breathing._

"There he is, animal," Herobrine said dismally, still staring over at the limp Sky. "There he is…"

Calamari rushed over to Sky, setting a paw on his shoulder and bringing him close. "Sky? Sky, please wake up. Please? Sky?"

But Sky stayed silent, eyes shut and chest not moving. He looked very, very pale, and his scales were a duller color than they had been. He was unnaturally still, and only moved when Calamari shifted him.

"What did you do?!" Calamari cried, turning his hed around to glare at Herobrine.

But the demon dragon was gone, as if he had never been there. The flames died down slowly, falling away into blackness. He was left with Sky, alone and utterly lost.

But then:

"I did nothing to him."

Calamari looked up, eyes widening as Herobrine padded out of a thick fog that had grown around him. "You are the one that killed him, animal."

No.

No, he wouldn't believe it.

He couldn't have killed him.

He never would have done it.

"Wh-what…?"

"Don't you remember, squid?" Herobrine whispered, hunching over like a vulture did over its prey. "I guess not… He thought he could trust you."

Suddenly, the dragon melted away into the fog. The next thing Calamari knew, Herobrine standing behind him, tail coiling around to settle on one of Sky's paws. "He thought you were his friend," the demon whispered in his left ear, slowly padding around Calamari and Sky, circling them.

"He thought you wouldn't ever hurt him."

"He thought he was safe with you."

"He thought you were his brother."

"But he thought wrong, didn't he?"

And suddenly, everything went pitch black. Herobrine was whisked away with the fog, and Sky fell from Calamari's arms.

The squid looked down, desperately reaching for Sky as he fell through the never-ending blackness. "Sky! Sky, come back! Come back!"

But he was gone, lost forever in the nothingness of the Void.

Calamari scrambled around, desperately clawing at the ground. "Sky!" he screamed, voice cracking. "Sky, come back! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I didn't want to hurt you! I didn't hurt you! Please, come back! I am _sorry_!"

[…]

The croak-croaking of a bullfrog snapped Calamari awake.

He gasped, eyes flinging open, only to meet the repulsive amphibian. The frog croaked, throat swelling, and shifting on the dragon's blue snout.

Calamari growled weakly and swiped it off with a paw, snapping it up in his jaws. He tried to relish and the crunching of its bones as he chewed it, but it only reminded him of his dream.

He swallowed thickly, but as soon as the small amount of food hit his stomach, he jumped to his feet and bounded over to a tree, hacking it back up.

His whole left side, from the middle of his flank and to his neck, stung with the dart's pain. He groaned, leaning against the tree, and lifted his head to look around.

Everyone was asleep. Sky was safely tucked in between two roots, with the monster coiled under his wing. Calamari made his way over, painfully limping. He collapsed on top of one of the giant roots, right arm dangling down to brush Sky's neck fur.

"Sky…?" he whispered hoarsely, eyes halfway closed.

Sky's eyes twitched behind their lids, and he lifted his head up to look at Calamari. "What? What is it?"

Relief blossomed in Calamari's chest, and he closed his eyes. "Nothing… Can I sleep here?"

Sky blinked uncomprehendingly, head tilting slightly. "Huh?"

But the squid apparently took this as a yes, and slid down next to Sky. He landed in an awkward position, with his hind legs splayed out to the side and his forelegs to the other side, but he fell asleep instantly.

Sky blinked slowly, staring at him. "Cal?"

The squid only let out a slight sigh, shifting to one side so he could tuck up next to Sky's side. The monster crooned slightly and slid out from under Sky's warm embrace. She padded over his back and went to hide under his other wing.

"Cal, dude… Not… Not cool."

Calamari just snuggled closer, tucking his nose into Sky's shoulder. His fins limply fell to one side, unlike their usual strong posture. He was pale, scales duller than they had been a few hours ago. His cheeks were sunk in slightly, and he already seemed skinnier. It had been just five hours since the battle with the hydra.

Sky's gaze traveled over to the four puncture wounds on his neck and shoulder. He felt a twinge of guilt, and leaned forward to sniff at them. He hadn't offered to help heal Calamari. He had only left him to suffer, alone and discarded.

"I'm sorry," Sky murmured, setting his head down and curling around the squid. "Sorry for not paying attention to you."

[…]

"I'm going to go scout ahead," Seto said when the others had started to wake up. He hadn't slept more than an hour, and he hoped it wasn't too visible.

"I'm coming with you," Ty said, standing up. His tail swayed side to side; the fur almost touched a mud pool.

Seto shook his head, already jumping off the ground. Gordy was clinging tightly to his horns, still half-asleep. "No, I'll be right back. Don' worry."

With that, he darted up to the canopy, where he squirmed through a small space between the branches. He folded in his wings and climbed up to the top. Sunlight washed over, which made him blink several times to get used to the sudden brightness.

He looked around, over at the sun, and quickly determined the right way north was. He jumped up and took off, wings stretching out to take in the sunlight.

The two flew in silence for a few minutes. But then Gordy spoke up, "I really wish you would have slept."

"How did you…?"

"I stayed awake a bit through the night before falling asleep. Even though your eyes were closed, you did not sleep. Your breathing was not right, and you were not relaxed."

Seto fell into a shamed silence, looking down at the rolling treetops. The leaves were blue and green in the sunlight, glinting with morning dew.

"You should really sleep, Seto. I know you don't sleep a lot, but I think it's really starting to get to you. You talk to yourself all the time, and nobody's around."

This earned a snort from both Seto and Kerberos, but they let the squid continue.

"And you're constantly looking over your shoulder, like something's going to jump out t you any moment."

Was he really?

"And you keep _staring _at people. It's creepy, you know. You stare more than _Jordan _does."

_"Ooh, that's quite a lot," _Kerberos said in a snarky tone, chuckling under her breath. _"Are you a stalker, Seto?"_

"Shut up, Kerberos," Seto muttered, which earned his hair being pulled by Gordy.

"There you go, at it again. Who is Kerberos? My name's Gordy, Seto. You really must be losing it."

Seto sighed and shook his head, effectively making Gordy fall onto his back. "Yeah, well—"

Whatever he had been about to say was knocked right out of him as a blur of blue dove at him from above, shoving him out of the air. Seto yelped, only to be met with a dragon about as big as he was. He balked, jerking into a hover and turning around. But there was another one, navy blue with greenish stripes zigzagging down his back and tail. The squid jumped at him, sharp talons curling into Seto's scales.

The sorcerer roared and bit at his soft, unprotected neck, but the other dragon quickly came in and grabbed on to one of his wings. Seto was easily subdued, and he caught sight of even more squids-turned-dragons coming at him.

This would not end in his favor.

[…]

"Calamari, hey, wake up."

The squid opened his eyes slowly, lifting his head from the ground. "Hmm?"

Sky was standing over him, with the monster coiled around his neck like a scarf. "Get up. We're gonna leave soon, once Seto comes back."

"What— What time is it?"

"Somewhere around nine," Sky answered, jumping out of the space between the two roots. He turned to watch Calamari struggle up next to him.

"Oh…"

"Jordan's already about to leave. He's ready to go, and only needs you to get on his back. Seto went to scout ahead, see what lies in front of us I guess."

Calamari nodded and slowly limped towards Jordan, trying his best to look strong in front of everyone else. He quickly made his way to Jordan, but paused at th task of actually getting up onto his back.

He looked over to Jordan's face, but the demigod was talking to Ryan and wasn't paying any attention to the squid. But the glint of those white eyes were still visible, even from where Calamari was standing.

Calamari shivered and craned his head around to make sure Sky was okay. He was, and was talking to Jason. The animal turned back to Jordan and called, "Can you pick me up?"

His voice was weak, and he had to try twice before the demigod finally turned that bright, blank glare onto him. For a moment, his scales rippled into teal and his fur into brown, just like Herobrine's. But then the moment passed and he was himself again.

"Can't you?"

Calamari's legs were trembling with the strain of keeping himself up, and he wordlessly shook his head. Jordan heaved a sigh through his nose and set out a paw. "Just walk up. I'm not lifting you."

The squid clambered up his forearm as fast as he could, limping all the way. As soon as he got onto Jordan's back he collapsed, much to the curiosity of Corari, whom of which had already taken up residence on his father's back.

"What're you starin' at, fish brains?" Calamari muttered, sending a weak glare at the strange Ender dragon.

Corari grinned and turned away, not taking the insult to heart. Calamari sighed and tucked his legs up, curling into a tight ball. He fell asleep shortly after, too weary to do anything else.

* * *

**Doesn't look so good for Calamari or Seto, does it?**

**Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for all the support, guys. I really appreciate it. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Liar**

The cage was small and cramped. Mold grew in one corner, and Seto tried his best not to look at it. The stink of fish and water was heavy in the small jail, thick and almost to the point of overwhelming.

Seto was hunched over miserably, chains draped across his body. There were several band sof metal wrapped tightly around his jaws, and he could hardly open his mouth to talk. His legs and feet were chained together, his wings clamped tightly to his sides. His tail was the only free thing that he had left, but it was asleep from being tucked up close to his body.

They had taken Gordy away and had left him alone, completely unguarded. He didn't know where he was, having been unconscious when they had brought him here, but he knew there was no escape. Even if Seto would have been able to break free of his chains, there would be nowhere to go. There would be nowhere to hide.

_"Seto, don't give up hope," _Kerberos whispered, trying to bring him out of the depressing thoughts. _"I'm sure the others would have noticed our absence by now. They'll come soon."_

Seto just sighed, head drooping until his nose was inches from the floor. "But I told them I would be gone," he murmured quietly, working his jaw against the bands of his muzzle. "And besides, they'll probably think I just left them to fend for themselves."

_"I am sure they would not think that, wizard. That green one, Ty, is sure to know that you would never abandon your friends."_

"But… You would. Maybe they think you took control, or something, and forced me to leave."

At this, Kerberos was silent.

He wasn't lying; she would have taken control and forced him to leave them behind, if in their best interest. But she had nothing to gain from setting out on their lonesome, with only the little squid prince for company. _"I—"_

Seto lifted his head as two squid-dragons came in. The first one was giant, longer than Jordan and about as tall as the demigod. Seto felt the fur on his back rise, and he growled.

Derpsolu chuckled, grinning, and bent his head down to stare into Seto's cell. "Well, well, well," he hummed, placing one paw against the wall opposite. "I remember you… You're the one that I killed, weren't you?"

Seto said nothing, resorting to sending him a sharp glare. But he remembered well, how much it had hurt when that sword and sliced through his torso, ending his life slowly and painfully. He remembered the feeling of his heart slowing down, and Kerberos' voice fading away all together.

But he remembered how he had woken up not a week later, with the sun shining above him and the leaves from a nearby tree floating down to settle on the ground. He remembered how he had sat up, rubbed his head, and looked around. And he was met with Sky, staring straight through him like he wasn't even there.

And suddenly Gordy was there, wings spread wide as if to shield Seto from the king. "Leave Seto alone."

Derpsolu chuckled and tapped his claws against the stone wall. "Move, son, and let me talk to the prisoner."

Gordy's fins dropped almost instantly and he cast a guilty glance over his shoulder as he padded out of the way. "I'm sorry, sorcerer."

His father glared at him with cold, steely, slate-grey eyes. But then he turned the slit-pupiled gaze onto Seto, and leaned forward until his nose brushed the thick iron bars. "You are very, very lucky, to have ben granted the gift of Natura. Let's see that it doesn't go to waste."

With that, he stood and turned, walking out. Gordy hung back and darted ver to Seto, thrusting his head into the cell. "I have sent word to Calamari," he whispered urgently, "A few of the squids do not like being dragons, and my father plans to keep them like this. They are loyal to me, and have sworn by the moon and sun that they will not disobey. Help will be here soon, Seto, do not worry."

"Gordy, come."

Gordy looked to the exit, fins flat against his body. "Coming," he called, "I just wanted to check on one of the other prisoners, to make sure they knew their place."

He turned back to Set and said, "Whatever you do, Seto, do _not _use magic. If you want to escape with that voice in your head that you call Kerberos, _please _heed my warning."

And with that, he turned and darted away.

[…]

"Guys, Seto should have been back by now," Ty said, turning to look at Mitch and Ian. Both of them shrugged, dismissing his worry.

"He'll be fine, Ty," Sky called. "He can take care of himself."

"But what if he's not fine," Ty shot at him, sitting back on his haunches. "Are you blind or what, Sky? Like, am I the only one who sees the bags under his eyes? He hasn't been sleeping, and he admitted it to me himself not a day before all of this happened."

"He's got Gordy," Jerome said, swinging on a cluster of vines. He wrapped his tail around them and dropped down, only to grab a hold of them again to keep from falling to the ground. "Nothing's going to happen."

"What if a bear gets to him?"

"Ty, all of us could easily snap up a bear in one bite," Mitch said flatly, but glanced over at Ryan, who was most definitely the smallest of them, with Bodil and Nitram not far behind. Not including Gordy, of course. "He could take on a bear. Stop worrying."

Suddenly, there was a great ruckus above them. Calamari sluggishly got to his feet, stumbling and toppling off Jordan's back. He looked up, head tilting to the side at the strange noises. There were clicks and whistles, like dolphin song, and it caught everybody's interest.

He reared onto his hind legs and made a strange, barking cackle up into the air. The noises above paused for a moment, before returning in a flurry of the language. Calamari's throat swelled, like a frogs, and he made a series of whistle-clicks, which sounded as if they should have never been possible.

And suddenly, two blurs of navy and dark blue dropped down from the leaves, still clicking away.

Ty bristled, snarling at the two new dragons.

"Squids!" Sky shouted, leaping forward on top of the larger of the two. They were relatively small, and he pinned the one easily. But what he wasn't expecting was to Calamari to limp forward and nudge his shoulder.

"Sky, they bring news. Get off," he said softly.

Sky stared at him as if he was insane, but the other dragon, which had been pinned down by Jason, released a throaty croak, which echoed into whistles. It looked to be female, smaller in stature and much slimmer than the male. She desperately huddled I on herself, well away from Jason's paws.

"They say Seto's been captured," Calamari translated, fins rising in alarm. "So has Gordy, but she says they're loyal to the prince." At this, he paused and frowned, glancing over at Sky. "Let him go, Sky. You too, Wither. They mean no harm."

Sky was stuck in a strange lull. Should he trust his instincts, and keep the squid pinned, or trust Calamari? In the end, he sighed and stepped off the blue and grey-splashed dragon. He looked over at Jason and nodded slightly, shrugging a wing. The armored dragon frowned beneath the skull-like mask he wore, and hopped away from the she-dragon.

Calamari sat down, breathing shallowly through his nose. He clicked and whistled a few times, and got whatever answer he wanted in return. After a few minutes, he looked at Sky. "Our friends are under the sea, apparently, in an old boat that the squids made to suit their new forms. How they got Seto down there without drowning him, I have no idea."

"That's only a few hours away," Jordan said, standing. He reached over and plucked Calamari up, nearly tossing him onto his back. "Let's go."

"Wait, wait," Ant said suddenly, not able to stand because Bashur was just started to climb on his back. "Surely there's a smarter way to go about this, instead of blindly rushing in. Jordan, that sea's known for its depths, and you can't even breathe underwater."

Jordan's glare seemed to brighten, and a rolling growl that was way too close to thunder rolled through his chest. Sky shuddered at the sudden spike of electricity in the air. He felt his hair stand up slightly, and he furiously swiped a paw down his neck to flatten it. "Guys, come on. Don't fight now, when we have to worry about Seto. Jordan, Ant's right, and—"

"No, we must go _now,_" Calamari said suddenly, but he was visibly shaking. To hide it, he curled his tail over his paws. "You do not get it, Sky. The Sea of Good Luck has the shamans in it. You don't… You wouldn't understand. We squids are _much _more civilized than you think. We have a king, and a prince, and a princess. I know everything Gordy knows, having been created by him, and I know the dangers Seto will be put through. And… He has that idol, remember? The one that we need to transform back?"

This cast a silence over all of them. For a moment, Jordan paused. Then he stood, scooping up Ryan and tossing him onto his back. Without another word, he jumped and crashed through the tree cover.

[…]

Seto only realized it an hour after he had woken up. At first, he refused to believe it, but when he did, panic settled into his chest and he was left choking on it. "It's gone," he whispered, horrified, bending his neck down.

The leather harness he had worn was gone, along with the koi fish idol. He needed that. He needed it to turn his friends back to normal.

A sense of failure dropped into his stomach like a rock, dragging his heart along with it. "I've failed, haven't I?"

_"No. Never say that."_

"But it's true. I'm useless—I can't even bring my friends back together." Seto bent his head down, burying his eyes under his paws. "I can't ever do anything right. Almost all of my spells go wrong, and I'm only a bother. Maybe it's for the best that I've been captured."

_"Don't you dare say that," _Kerberos hissed. Seto only shook his head and tuned her out.

_"With that kind of attitude, we're never going to get out of here. Come on, Seto, I know you better than this. It isn't like you to just give up."_

"Kerberos… Your turn."

And for once, she felt herself being pushed out of the corner of his mind. Seto jumped into her place, tossing her into his body. With that, he abruptly shut her off, building a wall around him to keep her away.

And now, she was stuck, in a cell, chained, and utterly hopeless.

Suddenly, there was chatter at the far end of the prison. She craned her neck around, staring with wide, silver eyes, at the two humans casually walked down towards her cell. She swallowed and shifted away from the bars, desperately trying to think up a plan.

_"Seto," _she whispered, _"Seto, what do I do?"_

But Seto was silent, and she was alone. Was this what he felt when she ignored him?

"Ah, there she is," the man said, coming up to the bars of Kerberos' cage. "Look at her… You know, I could have _sworn _she had purple scales, too. She's entirely silver."

"Some dragons are known to change their scale color, depending on the environment," the woman said, tossing a glance over Kerberos' silver scales.

"Do you think she understands us, May?"

Kerberos huffed and shifted, chains rattling. **_"Of course I do," _**she snarled, lifting a lip to show them her teeth. But with the muzzle on, any seriousness in the threat was lost.

**(A/N: When dragons speak to each other, they aren't necessarily speaking in what humans would understand. When they talk to humans, their words will be bolded & italicized.)**

The man jumped, but quickly regained his composure and ran forward, grinning like a schoolboy who just got a new toy truck. "Oh, wonderful. I'm sure you're willing to give us any answers to our questions, yes?

Kerberos hmphed and looked away, blinking once. **_"It is quite rude to talk to a lady without asking her name, first, human."_**

Might as well act the part of a real dragon. From what she knew, and what Seto knew, they were very dignified creatures. Very refined and extremely prideful beings. They had a right to, really, with how powerful they could be.

"Ah, what Jerald means is that ya gonna answer our questions, wetha ya like it or not."

So the man's name was Jerald, and the darker woman's name was May.

**_"You are even more rude than your companion," _**Kerberos said dismally, studying a crack in the wall. **_"I am not going to answer any questions, if you keep it up."_**

"May, let's not waste this one chance we have," Jerald muttered out of the corner of his mouth. He took a step forward and bowed deeply, spreading one arm out. "I am Jerald, and this is May. And what would your name be, madam?"

At this, Kerberos paused. She raked her memories for a good name, something that would fit a dragon. Seto finally sighed and supplied a name, _"Use the name of the dragon that you had first slain, Kerberos. Adeleindah."_

**_"Adeleindah," _**she said as soon as he finished. Jerald smiled at her and stood from his bow, taking out a notebook and jotting down what she had said. "And, how young are you?"

Now this, she could answer truthfully.

**_"I am… I am 12,312 winters old."_**

_"Holy…"_

Kerberos sighed and made a mental note to remind Seto that she was as old as Jeb was.

"Ah," May said in a choked-off squeak. She stared t Kerberos for a while. "Forgive me, you mus' be very wise." And she bowed, not as deeply as Jerald had, but it was still a bow.

**_"I am wise enough to know that I should not be chained up like an animal. Now, release me."_**

That may have been pushing it too far, but she was growing tired of the chain.

"Well, madam, we can't just… Adeleindah, where are your friends? Do you have a mate, or children? And where is your group headed?"

At this, Kerberos went to study her talons, ignoring the two humans. May sighed and took a few steps towards the cage. "We promise to release you the moment you tell us."

This garnered Kerberos' attention. She looked up, dark pupils dilating in thought. After a moment, she opened her mouth and said—

_"Kerberos, don't you dare."_

**_"We are heading northeast, to join the rest of our clan. My mate and seven children wait for me there, along with my father and mother. My group was sent out to find better lands to live in, because food was running low. Humans have come and usurped the land, poisoning it. We will not take becoming extinct, like the Celestials, and hope to save the last of them by moving. We were to take our moon goddess, Artemis, with us, and bring Apollo, the sun, down to her when we went back to tell everyone that we had found good lands."_**

She paused and gave a longing sigh to exaggerate. **_"But I am afraid that we do not have much time. You see, the two Fates do not like to be separated. I was sent to fly ahead, being the fastest, but I was RUDELY interrupted by these filthy, low, fish-brained, maniac squid-dragons. Now, please do release me. And give me back that idol I had been carrying. And my harness, please."_**

Her little speech had left both Jerald and May scrambling to take notes. But soon enough, when Kerberos cleared her throat, Jerald nodded and quickly said. "Yes, yes, of course madam. I will have you freed at once, and we will let you be on your way."

This earned him a smack from May. "Idiot," she hissed under her breath, as if to keep Kerberos from hearing. "You know the plan. We can't just let her go."

She turned to the silver dragon, bowing as she stuffed her notebook back in the satchel she carried. "I'm very sorry, Ms. Adeleindah, but we can't let ya go. We can get 'dose chains off a' ya, but can't let ya out."

At this, Kerberos growled, lifting her lip again. **_"I have a mate and seven children to get home to, puny human. Now let me out now, or I will burn this whole prison down."_**

"Ma'am, you can't do that," Jerald said quickly. "You can't set fire t a sunken ship. I'm sorry, madam, but you're trapped here."

"Come on, man," May said, grabbing Jerald's shoulder and tugging him away. "Le's go before Ms. She-dragon gets mad."

[…]

Ghost was not mad.

No, not at all.

He was completely _livid._

He had been working on his escape plan for _weeks _on end, and all of a sudden he was a freaking _dragon. _Surprised was an understatement. He had woken up, cramped inside of the now very, very small prison cell. And for the first time in years, he came face-to-face with Notch.

For a moment, the two had just stared at each other, blazing blue eyes glaring into charcoal black ones. And then, Ghost had thrown open his mouth and shot jets of gold and black fire at the god. He had stood, easily toppling the stone ceiling, and leaped away. It had taken him three minutes to get out of the Aether, baring his large fangs at any angel or god that dared to get in his way.

Currently, Ghost was flying over a giant sea. He couldn't stop looking down at his reflection, though, and got closer and closer to the water.

His base color was black, with orange and gold stripes zigzagging across his body. He had heavy, armored plates on his underbelly, which were a dark, bronze-gold shade. He had a strange mask of blue covering most of his face. The feathers on his neck, back, and tail were orange and gold-striped, and he found he could move then up and down. His feathery wings were black, with gold and orange stripes and tips.

Ghost sighed and looked up from his reflection. But a large shadow washed over him, and he snapped his azure gaze up.

The he next thing he knew, a black and green dragon was flying in front of him, flipped over on his back and flying upside down.

"Ghost, is that you?"

Maybe Ghost should have felt some sort of relief, knowing that he wasn't the only one that was a dragon. But at the moment, he was too swept up in his outrage about being a dragon. "It's your fault, isn't it?"

That was the only warning Bodil got before Ghost folded in his wings and dropped down on top of him.

* * *

**So yes. Kerberos is an _excellent _liar. That, or the two humans are just stupid. As a side note, guys. I have realized that this story is centered around a few characters, but expanding the POV's will be a difficult thing to do. I can't include everybody, with such a large group, but I'll try my best.**

**Thanks for reading, guys. I really appreciate the support and I hope you enjoy my work. Tell me what you think. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - Cross Your Heart**

Bodil really wasn't expecting Ghost to just _drop _like that. So when he did, instead of taking the weight and throwing him off, Bodil let instinct take over.

He tucked his wings in and he abruptly stopped flying.

As an angel, he had been trained to _never, never, ever _do that. It was dangerous. He could have landed on an airplane, or run into somebody.

But the water met both him and Ghost, eliminating the chance of running into someone.

Another thing they had _both _learned in their younger years was to _never, never, ever _go into water. So when they were officially _in _the water, they both froze. Ghost kicked away from him, trying to make his limbs move as if to swim. Bodil just blinked once, mouth clamped shut. It was best not to panic. If he couldn't get out of the water, he had a full ten to fifteen minutes before he would need air.

Ghost seemed to realize this, too, and fell still. He turned his head around, blue glare narrowed against the salt water. He lifted a lip, growling silently, and twisted around.

Suddenly, he was plucked straight out of the water by familiar giant talons. Another paw dipped into the water and grabbed Bodil, dragging both of them into the air.

"Martin, are you okay?" Nitram darted over to him, flipping onto his back so he could face Bodil. He shot a glare over to Ghost, who had given up in struggling. Instead, he hung limply, one soaked wing brushing the crests of waves.

"I'm fine, Nitram," Bodil assured, lifting his wings up and setting him at his sides. "I won't be able to fly until I'm dry, though. Thanks Jordan," he added as a side thought.

But when he looked up, h was met with Ant's brown gaze. "Oh, sorry. Thanks, Ant."

"No problem. Should I drop him?" Ant hefted Ghost slightly, jostling him. Bodil quickly shook his head and glanced around. "No. He's an old… friend."

"You don't sound too sure… But alright."

[…]

"Here she is."

Jerald lead two squid-dragons, both identical to each other, to Kerberos' cell. "Ms. Adeleindah."

Kerberos growled at him, baring her teeth. She turned her glare onto the first dragon, then quickly glanced over to the other.

They were blind, she realized. Their eyes were fogged over and glassy, staring into space. Their scales were a dark, unbroken navy. Beaded strings decorated their entire body, ranging from red to black. She blinked and looked them over again, then sneered. "What, did you fly through a rainbow?"

The first one, the one with a black pendant resting on its forehead, sighed softly. Aqua mist swirled up from the corner of its mouth, and it sighed again, taking a deep breath. "Be warned, shadow…"

The other tilted its head slightly; its face emotionless and as blank as its eyes. "You are a gift that has yet to be given to the right person."

This sent shivers racing up Kerberos' spine, and she suddenly huddled away. "What are you?" she hissed softly, glaring at them.

The first one blinked and turned its head down to face Jerald. **_"Let her out, she will not do any harm."_**

As it said this, the other one took slow steps towards Kerberos. It breathed out, aqua mist fogging the air. Kerberos hid her nose and mouth, holding her breath. It tilted its head to the side and sighed deeply, but closed its mouth and the fog receded. "We are warning you, shadow," it hissed softly, bending its head down to get as close to her as possible. "You _will _not do any harm. And if you do, we will separate the two of you… For good."

Kerberos' eyes widened and her head snapped up. The dragon took the chance and sighed, letting the aqua mist fill up the air. Kerberos stared into its eyes, suddenly finding her muscles frozen. The mist smelled sickly sweet, like too much perfume. And unlike all the other squid-dragons, this one did not smell of fish.

It sighed and leaned away, turning its head to face the other one. Kerberos was left staring, suddenly feeling very, very tired.

"A-are you sure?" Jerald asked the other one, pencil pausing in its frantic scramble to write everything down. "I mean, she could eat us."

**_"We are sure. Let her out, and give her the respect she deserves. Such an old one, very wise. Do whatever she says, but do not let her free."_**

And with that, the two blind dragons turned and left. Jerald looked up at Kerberos, who had lifted her head to stare after them. She blinked slowly, vision blurring until she only saw blobs of color. After a moment, she let out a little sigh of air and dropped into a very dark, muffled sleep.

[…]

Jordan had the brilliant idea to send Husky down under water to find where they were keeping Seto. He hadn't complained, but after ten minutes he surfaced again, claiming there was nothing but empty, empty ocean.

Jordan flew in agitated circles, which was as close as he could get to pacing. "We can't just keep going," he said, "We need Seto and the idol to transform back."

Calamari murmured something about Gordy, but he was ignored. Over the two hours of flight, he had taken on a sickly green shade. He could hardly lift his head anymore, and was no longer curled in a neat ball. Every move Jordan made, he would start sliding off his back until Ryan quickly shoved him towards the center of the demigod's back. Bodil's wings had dried in the two hours, and he was quietly talking to Ghost. The angel had been let go, too, and was flying in the left branch of a V-formation.

"Is that _all _you care about right now, Jordan?" Ant snapped, flying opposite of him. He, too, was flying in a circle, and it almost looked like the two were about to engage in battle, the way they were circling each other.

"No, of course not. I want Seto here, first of all. If we're stuck as dragons, then so be it, but he's my friend."

"You probably only care about getting back to normal."

Jordan growled and turned away. For once, Ant found it particularly pleasing that he had backed down. So he decided to push it:

"As normal as you could get, anyways, with being a demon."

"Uh-oh," Nitram muttered to Bodil, hovering above the two dragons. "This will not end well."

"What's going to happen?"

"Well, Jordan is going to lunge in three, two… one."

Like he said, Jordan swerved towards Ant. Claws outstretched and teeth bared, he slammed into the other dragon's side.

"And Ant will bite his shoulder."

Ant swiveled his head around, tucking in a wing and dropping as he bit into Jordan's left shoulder.

"And then… Oh. Squids."

And… squids.

A good forty squid-dragons suddenly burst out of the water. With a flurry of whistles and clicks, they immediately started their attack. Jordan broke away from Ant, swiping two out of the air with one paw. He glanced over at his rival, then around. After a moment of thinking, he flew over to him.

Jordan tucked in one wing and rolled, dumping Ryan, Calamari, and Corari of his back and onto Ant's. "I'll take them, you keep everyone safe."

Without another word, he swerved and took a deep breath. Thunder beat through his chest and the air spiked with electricity as he released the lightning strike.

More and more of the pesky blue dragons came up into the air, swarming the group and dividing it up.

He slowly found himself being overwhelmed. If he was battling three dragons, another two would come up and claw at his wings. If he turned to deal with those, the three would dart in and do the same. It was an endless cycle of turning in circles.

But the real blow was dealt unexpectedly.

A giant one sprung up out of the water, teal wings gleaming in the sunlight. He aimed straight for Jordan, ramming into him and bringing the both of them to the sea. Jordan took a deep breath, as if to let loose another bolt, but was abruptly stopped when he was thrown under water. Almost instantly, squid-dragons darted forward and clawed at his wings. He growled and twisted around, folding them tightly to his body.

The surface grew farther and farther away. His lungs started burning, and his vision started blurring. This shouldn't have been happening. He should have been able to take care of the little pests.

He should… He should have… have…

[…]

_"Ker…."_

_"…bero…"_

_"Kerberos…"_

_"Ker! Kerberos! Wake up, please wake up."_

She groaned slightly, one eye fluttering slightly. "Go away, Seto, let me sleep…"

_"You've been asleep for two hours."_

Kerberos hummed and sat up suddenly, eyes opening. She looked around, frowning at the strange room. The soft bed underneath her was made of many blankets and pillows, mostly all a pale sea foam green. "Where are we?"

She stood, but a sudden jangling caught her attention. She craned her head down, frowning at the beaded strings decorating her neck. She shook herself, reaching up with a paw to find the same maroon-colored strings woven around her horns. "And what are these?"

The room she was in was drastically different than her cell. It was elaborately decorated with all kinds of blues and greens, with beautiful vases and silky curtains. Candles were strung up on the walls, giving the room a warm glow, like the first rays of sunlight filtering in through a window in the morning.

_"I can't answer either of those questions… Don't ask me."_

Kerberos sighed and shook herself, spreading her wings. "There's no doubt that we're still captured. Anybody in their right minds wouldn't use this much blue and green."

Suddenly, a large door to her right opened. Kerberos sat down as a small squid-dragon came hurrying in. He bowed and whistled at her. When that didn't get a reaction, he stood and said, "The King wishes to speak to you."

"Tell him I'm busy," she said instantly, lying down and studying her claws. This took the squid by surprise, and he was left stuttering for a moment.

She looked at the squid, sizing him up. "You're not a very big dragon, are you? I could eat you in three bites, if I wanted."

"The King demands that you go to hear his proposal." But the squid backed down slightly, fins flattening against his spine. "He has ordered you to go to him now."

Kerberos hummed, tapping her claws against the carpet. "Pushy, isn't he?"

"Please, madam? I do not want to be sent into prison for disobeying orders."

Kerberos could feel Seto surface slightly, like she used to, and he said, _"Ker, just do it. He reminds me too much of Gordy."_

Kerberos sighed and finally got to her feet. "Fine, lead the way."

The squid brightened a little and turned padding out of the room. Once Kerberos had started walking behind him, he dropped back to stay next to her.

Kerberos did not have the patience to listen to a little squid ramble on and on for hours. Seto did, but she didn't. So when the little dragon started talking, she completely tuned him out.

Until:

"We captured a very big dragon just an hour ago, you know. He is black as night, and as big as the King. But once we got him underwater, it was easy! All we had to get were the shamans, and they put him to sleep so we could transport him into the holding cell."

_"Could he mean—"_

"Rumor has it that he is the son of Herobrine! Like, could you imagine? I bet his dad will do _anything _to get him out. That, or his friends will."

_"Oh Notch, he really means—"_

"We're using you as bait, too. I can't tell you much more, because it's top secret, but I really wish I could."

Kerberos kept her emotions hidden, but she was panicking. They brought down Jordan. "Do you… Do you know where he is staying?"

The squid nodded, looking up at her. "Oh, yes. It was the reason we moved you. We had to tear down the walls in your cell and make rearrangements, but he is where you were being kept."

_"This is just perfect," _Seto hissed quietly. _"We aren't ever getting out of here."_

Kerberos sighed softly and looked around. The hall they were walking down was big enough to fit at least twenty dragons comfortably. It was the same colors as her room, green and blue, but didn't have as many decorations. They passed by a door, which swung open as a squid-dragon came out. Inside, were steaming pools and dragons. They all looked to be female, and were carefully picking over bundles of navy blue eggs.

"Here we are," the squid called suddenly, freezing in his tracks. Kerberos stopped and turned to the giant set of doors, tail swishing across the ground. She looked down at the squid and nodded. He bowed, smiling, and nudged open the doors.

"You go in. The King has requested for all servants to not be with him."

It was then that her sense that something was terribly wrong kicked in. But she went forward anyway, jumping as the doors slammed behind her. The corridor was dark, with hardly any torches. She sighed and continued to walk forward.

_"Kerberos, if he—"_

"He will not be able to do anything," she muttered softly, claws click-clacking on the smooth floor underfoot. "Seto, you forget how I truly am."

Seto fell silent as the hallway opened up into a giant throne room. Kerberos stopped immediately, staring at Derpsolu. The King was curled up on something that resembled what Kerberos had been sleeping on before. Gordy was to his left, playing with a squid-dragon that was about his size. It was definitely female, and dressed up with bright yellow beaded strings. She was laughing happily, batting at Gordy's tail.

_"That must be his sister," _Seto realized, surfacing slightly to watch the two. _"He never mentioned having a sister."_

"Welcome," Derpsolu rumbled, tail tip twitching side to side. He smiled at Kerberos, slate grey eyes narrowing slightly as he did. "I trust that you find your new quarters suitable to your taste, madam?"

His tone was mocking, and Kerberos refrained from growling at him. He knew that Seto was there. He _knew._

"Quite fitting," Kerberos said, voice emotionless. "But it could use a deal less blue and green."

Derpsolu shrugged and said, "It was not my choice in its appearance. We did the best we could on such short notice."

Kerberos was silent, staring at him with an unwavering glare. He cleared his throat and stood, but even then she didn't back down. He must have outweighed her by a good six tons, but it didn't daunt her. "I have come to a decision, Adeleindah…"

"Oh?"

"You will become my queen, and—"

"Go fuck yourself."

This earned a laugh from Gordy, who was quickly silenced by a glare from his father. The princess looked over at Gordy and whispered, "What does that mean?"

Derpsolu cleared his throat again, tail snapping the air once in suppressed anger. "You have two choices, Adeleindah. One, become the Queen… Or two, let the demigod suffer."

_"What? What does he mean? Suffer?"_

Kerberos swallowed, but her gaze never wavered. "What do you mean?"

"We have him locked up tight, ready to torture. We could tell him that you are dead, or that we'll kill you, and he will do what we say. If he doesn't, then we have you as blackmail. Your situation is utterly hopeless, and I hope you realize that. If you refuse, sorceress, then he will be hurt. But if you don't, you will be keeping both your heads attached to your body."

And for once, she had nothing to say. Gordy's sister suddenly stood and bounded over to Kerberos. She twisted around and looked at Derpsolu. "Daddy, is this our new mommy?"

_"Ehhh….. Say no, say… But Jordan, though, and…. We're really screwed, aren't we? Oh notch, why couldn't I have just stayed with the group?"_

"Could I think about it?" Kerberos said, stepping away from the princess. "I am sure you could-"

"No, I need you answer now."

_"… Agree with it, Ker," _Seto finally whispered, _"Buy us some time."_

Kerberos sighed, wings drooping slightly. After a moment, she said, "Fine. If only for political reasons. Do not expect any more heirs."

With that, she turned and walked away.

[…]

"What do we do now?" Sky said, shoulders slumping slightly.

The group had gone to the shore once the squids had retreated. They were spread out in small groups, but when Sky spoke they looked over.

Ant shrugged a wing, huffing in agitation. "Jordan was stupid. If he hadn't dumped everyone on me and left to take on a whole army, we could've gotten Seto back."

And suddenly he found a ticked-off Netherian sitting on his nose. "Don't you _dare _talk about Papa like that, you jerk! He's more of a warrior than you'll ever be! And just because you're jealous that he's better, doesn't mean you have to disrespect him." Snowy growled angrily, tail lashing the air. Her spines rose up, making her look bigger than she actually was.

"Snowy, don't agitate the idiot," Oteri said, standing up and pulling her off Ant's nose. "Just because he's stupid, doesn't mean he has to be scolded."

"Yeah," Cherry called from the surf. "I mean, he's just jealous of how amazing our papa is. And besides, if he wants to complain like a hatchling, let him do so. I'm sure he could learn a lesson or two about manners."

In the literal twenty seconds of their taunting, Ant had been left completely speechless. He was at least three times the size of the Ender dragons, yet they had the _nerve _to insult him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Breakfast beat him to it.

The Celestial shot into the air, growling out a harsh string of whatever language he spoke. This didn't even bother the six, and they continued to ignore him. Breakfast growled, slamming his tail into the sand. Still, they simply ignored him.

"I'll have to hand it to Jordan," Ryan muttered to Husky. "He did a pretty good job at raising them. But we need to make a plan to get everyone back, including that little squid."

Calamari lifted his head from the sand. "I could go," he said softly.

"No," Sky snapped, throwing a wing over him. "Not with how sick you are."

"Sky, I'm the only one who can go in and out without raising any alarms. And besides, I'm not _that _sick." As if to prove his point, Calamari stood. He trembled slightly, but hid his weakness behind a sort-of smile. "I can sneak in, find out where they're keeping both Jordan and Seto, then get Gordy and free all of them."

"That's impossible," Jason said, shaking his head. "You're only one person. You couldn't possibly go through the entire whatever-they-have down there and come back out without being caught yourself. And besides, how will you even get Seto and Jordan out? They can't breathe under water."

"I'll get them out the same way they got them down there," Calamari said evenly, sitting down so he wouldn't fall over. "And besides. I have them."

He nodded towards the two squid-dragons, who had stayed with them during the battle. They were huddled against each other under the keen eye of Sky's monster. She would hiss at them whenever they dared to move and growl every time they blinked.

Sky glanced over at the two for a moment, then back to Calamari. "But—"

"I'll be fine, Sky. Nothing's going to go wrong. I promise."

Sky stared at him, frowning. Calamari lifted a paw and made an X motion over his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

* * *

**Huh...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - The _Ursa_ Explained**

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Calamari nodded, blinking away the spray of the salt water. The surf came rolling in, lapping at his stomach. "Of course, Sky. I'll be back by sunrise."

He smiled at the grey and gold dragon, and turned. The other two squid-dragons were already up to their necks in water, patiently waiting for him to come with them.

"Maybe I should come with you." The monster coiled tighter around Sky's neck when he stood. She crooned, running a paw over his scales. _"Sky."_

He sat down again, and sighed. "If you aren't back by sunrise, then I'm coming after you."

Calamari smiled, wobbling when another wave crested and pushed at his side. He was visibly trembling, fins drooping, and kept off his injured leg. He turned, tail dragging in the pebbles that made the beach. He walked out into the surf, keeping his head low.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him opened up. He paddled a bit away, before diving down without looking back.

The water was dark and silent, just like he remembered it. It was cold and gentle, understanding. The currents were easy on him, letting him swim down smoothly, without any hindrance.

The two squids swam in front of him, wings tucked in tightly to their sides. They swam like dolphins, kicking their hind legs and tail in one swift motion. Calamari, though, swam lazily, cutting through the water like a shark. His shoulder continuously strummed chords of pain, every stroke of his tail, and he tried his best to ignore it.

He took a deep swallow of the water, letting it filter out through his gills and give him the needed oxygen. Calamari looked around, eyesight much more suited for the dark. A school of silvery fish swam by, twisting and churning in utter chaos. As they passed by part of the cliff of the drop-off, an octopus darted away and into a small crevice. It was utterly silent, though. The darkness was unbroken and peaceful, gently shifting them sometimes with a slight current.

He was home.

[...]

"I want to see Jordan."

The little squid froze in his tracks, turning around to look at Kerberos. She stared at him, unblinking. "Let me see him."

"Miss, you can't just go and see a prisoner—"

"As the new Queen, I demand it."

The squid sighed and rubbed a paw over his fins, flattening them to his spine. He thought for a moment, looking at the wall. "Well... I _guess _you can see him, if it's an order. Alright, come with me."

_"Good job, Ker."_

Kerberos sniffed, grinning in triumph, and followed their 'guide'. She didn't reply to Seto, in fear of the squids figuring out there were two people sharing their body, but he got the point.

The squid led them down and down, until the metal and rugs underfoot turned into slippery stone.

"Could I ask you something?"

The squid lifted his head and looked around, nodding. "Yes, ma'am. You can ask me anything."

"What are we in? And why isn't it filled with water?"

The squid paused for a moment, thinking. Finally, he said, "We just exited the _Ursa, _which is the ship us squids call home. Before we were dragons, we had a water system running through the walls. It would filter out the water, so it wouldn't go stale or anything." He shrugged and shook his head. "I never really got it. If you want more detail, I could always take you to one of the construction crews. They'll gladly explain it to you."

"But that doesn't answer my question. Shouldn't there be water?"

"We drained it all out," he said, lifting a wing and gesturing to the ceiling. "It's all in the sea, now. The _Ursa _is a giant ship, she is. When we all woke up as dragons and all the newborns eggs, we had to act fast. Most of us were stuck where we had woken up, until a construction crew came along and rebuilt the inside of the ship. It's all the same, really, they just had to cut out a few unnecessary rooms and corridors to make more space."

"Well... Where are we now?" Kerberos asked, glancing at a dead coral patch that was stuck to a wall. "It looks like a cave."

"The _Ursa _broke apart when she sank. The one half landed further along the drop-off, but the front half sat right down in front of it. Our ancestors found the front half, and decided she would make a good home. Oceanus graced them, proud of their resourcefulness, and pushed it up against the cliff. Eventually, we carved out these tunnels, and broke into a cave system."

Kerberos hummed, grey claws clicking against the floor. She sniffed the air, crinkling her nose at the stench of fish and mold. "And I suppose this is not very well kept?"

"This is just the prisoner's channel. We don't keep it in very good shape, because the prisoners sometimes try to eat us."

Kerberos looked at him in alarm, blinking. "Cannibalism?"

The squid looked sad, and his head hung low. The fins along his back and tail flattened. "Some... Some are just driven insane by the calling of Void. My mum was taken, a full moon ago. She kept saying... She kept saying something about voices in her head, telling of death and destruction. We had to put her away, alone, into solitary. She had hurt my brother..."

Kerberos looked down at her paws, sighing. "I am very sorry. Pray tell she gets better."

"Void is a merciless creature. She will not get better."

And the rest of the walk was spent in silence.

[...]

Calamari heaved himself out of the docking pool, flopping down on the cool metal. He stayed there for a few minutes, but then one of the squids nudged his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. I'm alright." He staggered to his feet, having to lean on one of the two. Pain seared up through his shoulder and neck, and he bit back a whimper.

"Are you sure you are fit for this, sir?" she asked, setting one wing over his shoulders. Calamari nodded and shrugged her away, glancing around. "Yes, yes. Now where is Jordan being held? And Seto, too."

"Wouldn't it be wiser to get the prince first, sir?" the male one suggested, bowing slightly.

Calamari blinked, then nodded. "I guess. Let's go."

And he started limping forward, head held as high as he could get it. He had to appear normal. He couldn't look like he was about to pass out, when he really was.

Though he supposed he couldn't do anything about his heavy limp, and the fact that he had to pause every forty feet to catch his breath.

Eventually, though, they made it to the king's throne room. It had been surprisingly easy to find, and he really had to thank the two squids for that.

The door swung open and Calamari quietly slipped into the corridor. "You guys stay here," he whispered to the two. "Come get me if anything goes wrong. And try to find out where Seto and Jordan are located."

They nodded and took guard beside the doors. Calamari limped down the hallway, hissing with every strain on his shoulder. He had to be strong; he had to get Seto and Jordan out. He had to do this, and he had to do that.

He had to.

[...]

Jordan was a sorry sight. Thick, metal chains were strung over him. There were three large metal buckles that clamped around his neck, which had at least five ropes of chains connected to them and to the walls. His wings were also chained tightly to his sides, and his tail to the floor. He was muzzled, of course, but the metal was already starting to stretch from his straining on it.

He was in the same room Kerberos had been in earlier, but it had drastically changed in the few hours. All the walls in the room had been torn down, and Jordan was stuck in one lonely cell at the far end of the jail.

"Here he is, ma'am."

His bright white gaze snapped up and glared, but softened at the sight of Kerberos. "Set—"

Kerberos shook her head, reaching up and holding a finger to her lips. Jordan fell silent instantly, and looked her over again, frowning. "Unchain him."

"I am sorry, ma'am, but I can't. The King has ordered for him to stay like this." The squid ducked his head, not meeting her gaze.

"Why are you keeping him?"

"We have... I can tell you when we are not in his hearing range."

Jordan tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. Kerberos' tail swayed back and forth in agitation."Anything you can say to me, you can say to him. He is the one that is chained up like a rabid animal."

"We were... We are planning to trap you in the Nether," he said to Jordan, stepping further away from the cage. "Or to use you as bait to get another dragon from your group."

Jordan growled dangerously, bristling. He tried to sit up, but the chains immediately tugged him back down. "Why, you little—"

Kerberos quickly went in between the two, blocking the squid from Jordan's sight. She bent her head down to the little dragon's level and whispered, "Let me talk to him. You go stand outside. I will be fine; he won't hurt me."

The squid bowed, and, with one last uncertain glance at Jordan, left the jail.

Jordan watched him go, glaring with his bright white eyes. He looked back at Kerberos, growl fading. "So how have you been, Seto?"

Kerberos shrugged a wing, smiling slightly. "Better off than you. I can't get you out, not without raising any alarms. But—"

"You're not Seto."

It was a statement, not a question.

"I asked Seto, not you."

Kerberos blinked, frowning. She started to give Seto control again, but he refused. _"I don't want to talk to him. Figure it out yourself."_

"No... No, I'm not Seto." She sat back on her haunches, silently swearing to get Seto back for this. "I suppose he never told you about me?"

Jordan strained against his muzzle, forked tongue curling angrily. "Nope."

He seemed pretty okay with Kerberos, though, and didn't seem to be directing any anger at her.

"And you're not angry about that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Jordan shook his head, bending his neck down to claw at the muzzle. "Nope. But I do deserve an explanation."

_"Go on and tell him, I guess. Maybe, once we get out of here, we should tell the others. They've seen you once before, but I don't think they really realize what you are."_

"Well, I've been with Seto for a long, long time..."

[...]

Calamari collapsed against the wall, breathing shallowly. He stood there for a minute, then pushed off the wall and continued down the hallway. The rug under his feet kept tripping him up, making him stumble.

Soon enough, though, the hallway opened into a giant room. Calamari looked around, chest heaving for air.

"Calamari?"

His gaze slowly moved from a painting on the wall, to a little squid-dragon. Gordy came running over to him, with his sister cautiously following. "What are you doing here?" he whispered, looking up at the larger dragon.

"Where... demon, an- and sorcerer." Calamari swayed, and pain raced up his side when he set his injured leg down to steady himself. "S-Sorcer... And- and the- the demon guy. Where—"

"Gordy, what are you- Who's this?"

Gordy turned around, fins rising in alarm. "Father," he regarded, bowing his head. "This is the, ah, the animal. He is very sick, and we need to help him."

Derpsolu hummed, walking out of one of the two corridors that sat on either side of the throne. He padded over, footsteps heavy and echoing. Calamari stared at him, vision bleary with tears. "Sir—"

"Get him to the healers," Derpsolu commanded, turning around to address several servants. "Treat him with the utmost respect; he is very precious to us"

The servants scurried forward, going to help Calamari. But he shrugged them away, stumbling to one side. "N-no, no. I ne-need to get- Gord-Gordy, I need."

"It is just the fever talking, Calamari," Gordy said hurriedly, glancing over at Derpsolu. "I am sure you can tell us once you are healthy."

Calamari stared at him like he was insane. "B-b-b-but-"

"The shamans can heal you right up," Derpsolu interrupted, tail swaying. "You'll be in good hands."

"But I-"

Calamari went to take a step forward, but his paw caught on the rug and he collapsed.

"Hurry, get him to the healer's room. Make sure all other patients are put aside, and if there's any fuss tell them that the King himself gave you the orders."

One of the larger servants bent down, as the others pulled Calamari onto his back. He shifted, standing, and quickly padded away.

"Gordy," Derpsolu said once they were gone, "What did you call him?"

Gordy's fins drooped at his mistake. "U-uh... I called him C-Calamari, Father."

"Why Calamari? That is not a good name for someone of his status."

Gordy hunched his shoulders, and shrugged, looking away. "It is..."

"It is what?" Derpsolu asked, frowning down at him. Gordy's little sister laughed, reaching a paw up in the universal sign of 'freaking pick me up I want off the floor', but he ignored her.

"It is what the others called him," Gordy muttered. "You see, they, uh... They poisoned him, and called him Calamari as a joke. But it stuck, and it's his name now. They were- were so horrible to both of us, and he must have escaped. I'll go talk to him once he's better, because he knows me more."

Maybe that would buy them a little bit of time, before everything else unraveled.

Derpsolu hummed and opened his mouth to respond, but a servant darted towards him. He bowed deeply and said, "Your highness. The portal is complete. Shall we send word to the Nether King?"

Gordy paled when he realized what the squid was talking about.

"Yes, send the letter I had written. Do not engage in any sort of fight; you will be sorely outmatched. You will not get a very warm welcome, mind you. Expect more along the lines of lava, or magma, or whatever it is. Go, now."

The servant bowed again, before rushing out of the room.

"Father, why are you sending a letter to the Nether King? What is he going to do?"

Derpsolu curled his tail around his feet, staring down at Gordy with an emotionless gaze. "We are planning to lock the new prisoner into the Nether, and I am sure you know the stories of him. We need him out of our hair, and if we act like we have him chained up in some jail cell, we have a better chance at capturing his friends. And besides, I am sure his father will want some sort of explanation about why he is suddenly a dragon."

[...]

"I'm going to hunt," Jerome said suddenly, standing up.

Ty lifted his head, blinking at him. "Hunt? How can you hunt when several of our friends are in danger?"

"Well, sitting around moping isn't going to do much, is it? And besides, I'm hungry. Start up a fire, so we can cook when I get back." Jerome started walking away, wings tucked loosely at his sides. Bodil suddenly got to his feet, and he jumped into the air. "Come on, Nitram, I'm gonna show you how to catch some birds."

Nitram tilted his head to the side and jumped up with him. "For food?"

"Well, normally it's just to take boredom away. I don't like to eat birds."

And they were off and away, into the sky.

Mitch got to his feet and wordlessly padded after Jerome, leaving without a goodbye. He had gotten into an argument with Ian just an hour ago, and still seemed butt hurt over it.

Corari was untangling himself from the pile of his siblings, and he went out into the surf. He crouched just in front of the drop-off, staring down into the depths. Husky waded over to him. "What are you looking at?" he asked.

Corari glanced at him, and smiled softly, then turned back to the water, blue eyes reflecting the light rippling off the surface.

"Jerome, do you even know _how _to hunt?" Mitch asked, ducking under a branch as he followed the furry dragon. Jerome nodded, fluffing his wings up as if offended. "Yeah, of course I do. I've hunted before."

Mitch hummed, and stopped when Jerome spread one wing. "Look," the bacca whispered, pointing towards a small herd of deer. "Follow my move, don't make a sound."

Jerome dropped back, padding downwind of the deer. Mitch followed him quietly, instincts wired through him from all the time he had spent in the Survival Games. But Jerome motioned for him to stay there, and he did so.

The bacca moved stealthily, perfectly quiet as he padded closer and closer. He got low to the ground, wings folded tightly. He stood there for a moment, watching the deer. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he tensed. That was all the warning the deer got before Jerome pounced, bringing down three of them n one go.

The rest scattered, bounding away. One scrambled over a bush and fell. Mitch quickly leaped at that one, taking it down with a swift bite to the neck.

"Well," Jerome said, nudging the deer carcasses onto his back for transport. "I think we had a firs good hunt, right? Next time, it's your turn to get them all."

* * *

**So yeah. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for everything, guys. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – Heat**

"Come on, Aiden. Just climb down."

"But Dad, I could fall. And besides, how do I know you will catch me?"

Herobrine heaved a sigh and shifted his weight, nearly slipping on the Netherrack underneath the lava. He was more than halfway submerged, with only his neck and shoulders above the surface of the lava pool. "I promise you, Aiden, that I'll catch you."

Aiden's tail wagged slightly, and he did the wiggly-butt-thing that cats did when they were about to jump. He took a deep breath, and jumped. Herobrine lifted his head up slightly and the little Netherian landed on his nose.

"Oh, you did catch me! I knew I could trust you, Dad." And with that, Aiden clambered over his snout, climbing into the brown fur plastered to his head form the lava. "I mean, it was silly of me to think otherwise. You've never done anything to harm me, and you never will."

Herobrine nodded slightly and twisted, swimming towards the shore a mile away. His claws scraped the lava sea's bed, and every once in a while he would hit a rock of obsidian, or a chunk of growing quartz. When he finally clambered up onto the shore, lava was running down his sides in thick streams.

Aiden shifted and stood, sliding down the slope of his forehead to sit right between Herobrine's eyes. "Where are we going, Dad?"

"The Overworld. I'm going to get some ans—"

"Lord Herobrine? Lord Herobrine, there you are!"

Herobrine's head swiveled over to a navy dragon, about the size of his paw. He growled, ears folding flat against his skull. "What are you? Why are you here?"

"I- I am a messenger, from King Derpsolu." The squid-dragon bowed, one paw lifting off the ground as he did so. "I come with a message. It involves your son, Jordan."

"I have a brother?" Aiden whispered, bright eyes widening.

Herobrine rumbled and glared at the smaller squid, eyes glowing slightly. "What happened?"

The squid swallowed audibly, and recited the message. "We have captured your son, and have him chained in our best prison. We are to transport him here in an hour. All we ask of you is to keep him locked away. Just for the time being."

"And what makes you think I won't just let him go?" Herobrine growled, trembling with suppressed rage. The squid gulped again and said, "You won't even have to touch him, or- or even looked at him. We swear to the moon and sun, Lord Herobrine, that he will not be any sort of trouble. Aye?"

Herobrine growled again, claws tap-tapping across the ground. After a moment, he sighed and nodded. "Very well, send him in as soon as possible. Where is the portal?"

The squid pointed towards a faint purple glow with his nose. Herobrine took a few steps closer, peering around a corner. And there it was, a giant portal that even he could fit through.

The squid bowed and turned on his heel, intent on leaving the horrid realm. But Herobrine stopped him by placing his paw over him, claws acting like bars of a cage. "Promise me something, though," Herobrine murmured, still staring at the portal. "That once he is sent through, you will demolish the portal on the other side."

The squid hastily nodded, cowering from his giant paw. The demon growled softly, and stepped back; the squid quickly bolted, jumping over a small pool of lava and right into the portal.

"Dad, do I really have a brother?"

"Yes... You will be meeting him shortly, Aiden, don't worry."

"Why do you want the portal on the other side closed? I mean, won't that cut off access to here? What if they want to come say hello some day?"

Herobrine sat down, tail swaying back and forth. "Aiden, let me tell you something. When a portal is created in the Overworld, and someone goes through it, another portal will automatically be made in here. That way they have a place to scurry back to so they can get back home."

Aiden nodded, sitting in one of the most awkward-looking positions. He had his hind legs sticking out, and his tail draped to the side in an attempt to sit like a human. "And?"

"If the original portal is destroyed in the Overworld, the one in the Nether will still be there... If we go through it again, it will create a _new _portal, in a different location."

"I don't get it," Aiden said, frowning in confusion. He studied his tail spikes, fanning them out and folding them back in. "What will creating a new portal do for us?"

"You will see soon, once your brother gets here."

[...]

"Is he going to be okay?"

One of the shamans blinked, and lifted her blind gaze to stare directly at Gordy. She sighed softly, and looked back down. "Yes, of course."

She set a paw over Calamari's chest, holding it there for a moment. "He will be fine. I must be going now. He will wake shortly."

And she left, standing up with a slight jangle of beads. The other shaman stood from her curled up position and followed the first one out. Gordy stared at them for a little while, until the doors slid shut. He sighed and shook his head, looking over at Calamari.

The room was chilly, to help Cal's fever, and Gordy was starting to get cold. He huddled close to the floor, and just sat there watching Calamari breathe.

He already looked much better, and the blue had returned to his scales. His fins rose and fell with each breath, and his tail sometimes twitched. The trembling had stopped and he didn't look to be in pain anymore.

Gordy didn't know how the shamans had healed him; he hadn't been allowed into the room during the time. "You know," he said, glancing around. "The moment you wake up, I'm taking you to see Seto. If the shamans did anything to you, he can fix it right up."

Calamari sighed in his sleep and rolled onto his side, nearly squashing Gordy in the process. The prince scurried backwards, wings flapping once. "He will, or the thing controlling him will. I hope he's okay."

[...]

"So let me get this straight," Jordan said, one ear flicking up. "Seto can hear me, he just can't see me unless..."

"It's difficult to explain, but yes. He can hear you, but he cannot see you unless he gains partway control. If I ever fall silent suddenly, or if he does, it is possible he is rising a bit to see what is going on."

"So that would explain—"

"Your Highness, the King has ordered for you to leave the area as he transport the prisoner to the Nether."

Kerberos growled and turned around to glare at the little squid. "What? Why now? I am obviously talking to him."

"Ma'am," he said, fins falling slightly. "You are going to have to leave. I do not want to call the guards in and have them drag you out. I am sorry."

Kerberos glared at him and opened her mouth to speak, but Jordan suddenly cut in, "Just go. It isn't like Herobrine's going to eat me."

"That is not what I am worried about," Kerberos murmured, sighing. But she started padding away.

A sudden screeching roar shook the ground, knocking her and the squid-dragon off their feet. Kerberos quickly scrambled back up, gaze snapping around. "That is what I am worried about. Squid, where is the portal set?"

"Nowhere near it, do not worry. It is just hungry."

"What was that?" Jordan growled, ears lying flat against his head.

"Nothing," the squid said quickly, wrapping his tail around one of Kerberos' front paws and leading her out. The sound of Jordan's echoing growl followed them down the stone hallway. But it quickly lost its intimidation when the screech sounded again.

Once the stone underfoot turned into metal again, Kerberos finally stopped. "What is that?"

"... It is one of the monsters that Oceanus cursed us with," the squid said quietly, keeping his head low. "We do not talk about it."

He led Kerberos back to the room she had woken up in. Just as he turned to leave, she spoke.

"What is it called?"

The squid was silent for a long, long time. He stood there, wings hunched, with his back to her. Finally, he sighed. "It calls itself Kraken."

And with that, he padded away.

[...]

The Nether was just like he remembered. Red, hot, and hot.

The sudden change in temperature hit Jordan like a wall. Normally, it wasn't too bad. Whenever he visited this place, he was coming out of the jungle. It was usually very hot and humid there.

Jordan was shoved through the portal, still bound in chains. He growled, snapping his head around. But the muzzle was clamped around his snout, keeping his jaws closed.

The large squid-dragon growled back at him, quickly going back through the portal.

Jordan thrashed, clawing at the strong metal chains wrapped around him. There was a snap and one of his hind legs was free to move. He shook himself, metal rattling.

"You look pathetic."

Jordan turned his bright glare onto Herobrine and growled deeply, sides swelling slightly. He didn't say anything, but bent his neck down to start clawing at the muzzle.

"Dad, is this my brother?"

Jordan paused and looked up, noticing the red dragon crouched on Herobrine's teal nose. The demigod stared for a moment, then returned to working at the muzzle. He couldn't quiet reach it, with his paws chained together.

The demigod growled again, silently cursing all squids to the Nether and back. The next one he saw, he would eat it alive.

"What's his name, Dad? Does he even have a name? Oh, if he does not, could I name him? His name should be Nightmare, because he looks scary. He doesn't look like you, though. You're not scary at all."

Herobrine sat back on his haunches, watching Jordan and listening to Aiden. "His name is Jordan, isn't that right? Or have you changed your first name as well as your last?"

Jordan growled slightly, straining his wings against the chains. There was another snap, and his left wing broke free.

"Does he need help?" Aiden asked innocently. At this, both the older dragons paused. Finally, Jordan sighed and nodded glumly.

"Here, Aiden, you stay down here while I help get the chains off," Herobrine said, setting his chin on the ground so Aiden could crawl off his nose. The little dragon did so, going over to a small puddle of lava and splashing around in it.

Herobrine went over to Jordan, reaching up and raking his claws across the chains holding the muzzle to his head. The metal bands fell away instantly, landing with a clatter. Jordan twisted his head around and bit down on one of the half-broken metal bands that was clamped around his wings.

When he was finally free, Herobrine stepped a good distance away. Aiden squawked at him, sitting back on his haunches and spreading his wings. Herobrine set his nose down again, letting him climb back on to his head.

"Thanks," Jordan muttered, rubbing at one of his wing membranes. His tail snapped around, curling around one of his hind legs. He glanced over at the portal and growled slightly, the glanced over at Herobrine. "So I'm stuck here?"

"You're stuck until you explain why I am like this, and why you are like that," Herobrine said flatly, knowing that by now the squids had destroyed the other portal.

"Seto cursed us because nobody was getting along, and apparently the spell accidentally got to everyone, including people that were dead. So now we're all like this, and we need to travel to the Northern Wall to get back to normal, and then it's happily-freaking-after."

"Alright," Herobrine said after a pause. He scratched his neck with a forepaw, thinking. "You know you are about a month away from the Northern Wall, right?"

Jordan sighed, shoulders hunching. "I didn't want to ruin it for them. I mean, I know the Wall changes its position every time someone gets near to it, but they don't know that."

"Who else has gone past it, besides you?"

"Nobody, I think."

Herobrine frowned, setting his paw down. "You know what is going to happen, then. There are consequences to crossing the Wall without two people who have gone across it before. Who do you plan to sacrifice?"

Jordan was silent, and he looked away. For a long time, the three sat there. Finally, Jordan sighed and said, "I didn't want to tell them, so it was going to be me."

"No," was the instant reply. Jordan looked up, surprised. Herobrine shook his head and growled. "It will not be you... I have gone across the Wall before. I could travel separately from your group, and there will not have to be any bloodshed over which tribe will take you."

Jordan stared at him for a long moment, then nodded once. "Alright. We meet back at the Wall, once we reach it. We cross together, then part ways once this is all over with. Deal?"

He held out a paw, staring Herobrine in the eye. He knew the weight of making a deal; as a descendant of an ex-god, deals were an extremely tricky business.

Herobrine glanced down at his outstretched hand, then sighed through his nose and shook it. "Deal."

"Dad, are we going out to the Overworld again?" Aiden asked, picking at an itchy scale on his neck.

Jordan glanced at him, then over to the portal. "Unless you want to deal with an army of squids, kid, then you probably aren't going to—"

"I had them destroy the portal," Herobrine said, standing and walking past Jordan. He went over to the portal and stopped in front of it. "We will end up somewhere else."

Jordan hummed uncertainly, sitting back and watching as the teal dragon started to pad into the portal.

"Brother," Aiden said, twisting around on Herobrine's head to look at him. "If you want to be stuck in here, then so be it. But we are leaving. I would like you to come with us, because I have only just met you and I want to talk more."

Herobrine cast Jordan a backward glance, stepping into the portal and vanishing.

The demigod stood there for a moment, tail swaying in uncertainty. He blinked and sighed, walking over to the portal. "If this is a trap..."

He shook his head, not finishing the thought, and stepped into the portal.

[...]

Calamari sat up with a scream. He looked around, eyes wild with fear. "Sky!"

Gordy jumped to his feet, backing away when the other squid-dragon staggered up, only to collapse again. Calamari settled slightly, breathing heavily, and glanced down at Gordy. "W-where am I?"

"You're safe," Gordy quickly assured. "You're in a healing room, it's all okay. Calamari, it's okay."

Calamari kneaded the floor beneath him with his claws, doing his best to calm down. "Where is Sky? Is he okay?"

"Sky is fine, I'm sure. He's with his friends, remember? He's up at the surface, not in the _Ursa."_

Calamari quickly nodded, thinking. "He- I volunteered to go get our friends. I need to find the sorcerer, and the demon. And you, and then we can escape."

At the mention of himself, Gordy took a step back. "I..."

"Don't you want to see Seto again? And the others?"

Gordy's fins drooped at Calamari's confused stare, and he looked away. "Well, you see, my sister... I d-don't want to leave her again, you know? Father never pays her any attention, since Mom left, and I'm the only family she has."

"Well, she can come with us!" Calamari said, getting to his feet. He grinned down at Gordy, padding over and plucking him off the ground with his teeth. The space right behind his incisors could hold Gordy without harming him, since there was a gap of any fangs there.

"Wait, Calamari, put me down right now," Gordy hissed, scrambling at the other squid's scales. Calamari dropped him instantly, and sat back.

"Gordy, we need to save everyone. We need to help them," Calamari said, fins drooping. "I cannot fail."

"Why? Why can't you fail?"

"Because I promised not to. You need to come with me, now."

"Calamari, I want to stay."

The confession immediately made Calamari freeze. His fins went rigid for a moment, then flattened to his back. "But I promised to get all of you out. And Gordy, why would you want to stay here? We can bring your sister, I am sure. Your father is not good. He is evil, you know? And I don't think Seto will leave without you."

"I'll help you guys escape," Gordy said, "but I'm staying here. This is the first time I've been home in half a year, Calamari. And my sister's only five months old. She won't be able to handle the outside world."

"But Gordy—"

"No. I'm staying. I could have escaped the moment they brought me here, but I'm staying."

Calamari stared at him, and his navy eyes grew cold. "Fine," he said, shrugging. "I never got to know you anyways."

He stood and started padding out of the room. He nosed the door open, poking his head out to look around. He set a paw against the metal door, but paused and glanced back at Gordy. "But just remember that the names are drawn randomly for Kraken's food. If it's your name that's drawn, Gordy, none of us can save you. And what about your sister? What will happen if _her _name gets drawn for sacrifice? Both of us know that Kraken does not take 'no' for an answer."

Gordy turned away, padding over to a pool of water in the ground. He dipped a paw in it, ignoring Calamari. "That won't happen."

"How do you know that?" Calamari hissed, still standing in the doorway. For a moment, the room was strung up with silence. Then Gordy sighed and said, "Calamari, if you want to leave I suggest you do it now. I can't leave my sister."

Calamari sighed and looked down at his paws. He thought for a second, then turned and in one swift leap, snatched Gordy back up and ran out the door.

"You're coming with me," Calamari said around Gordy, bounding down the corridor. "Whether you like it or not. Now where are they keeping Seto?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - Talk**

"Calamari! Put me down. Put me down, this instant! Right now! I demand it."

Gordy made quite a ruckus, hanging from Calamari's jaws like that. He tried to call out for help, but any squids only laughed at him.

"Hey!" he called to one squid, tail lashing. "Help me out here!"

The squid only chuckled and murmured, "Boys," before turning away.

Gordy craned his neck over to glare at Calamari. "Please put me down."

Calamari blinked and shook his head, pausing to turn down one corridor. He knew where to go, having all of Gordy's memories. He walked down the empty corridor, towards the doors that were most likely holding Kerberos.

"Calamari," Gordy whined, trying to pull himself out of the squid's grip.

"Stop struggling," Calamari muttered. "I'll talk to ya when we get there."

He raised a hand and knocked on the door, scraping his claws across the metal for good measure. In the middle of the horrific noise, Kerberos threw open the door.

"I'm not Seto, you idiot. I can hear you knocking perfectly well," she snapped, glaring down at him.

Calamari stared at her, and she sighed. "I'll explain later. Have you finally come to my rescue? It took you long enough. Come on in."

"_Now_ can you drop me?" Gordy asked. Calamari sighed through his make and went into the room. Finally, once Kerberos had closed the door, he set Gordy down on the ground.

And, like Calamari expected, he instantly tried to leave. The larger squid set a paw in his way, hissing. "No, I'm talking to you now."

"Just let me leave," Gordy said, fins lying flat. "I'm trying t make the best out of a bad situation here, okay? What's that human saying? 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?' I might not know how to make lemonade, but I'm going to try my best. But for that, you need to—"

"Screw life!" Calamari snapped, baring his fangs. He padded forward, fins rising and gills on his sides flapping. "Don't take those lemons! Don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back, okay? We don't need life's damn lemons. We'll- we'll burn life's house down with the lemons!"

Gordy cowered down, find flattening in fear at the squid's outburst. He heard Kerberos chuckle softly and shot her a glare.

Calamari settled down slightly and said, "My point is, Gordy, that maybe you don't have to play the bad cards you've been handed, okay? We can draw a new deck, and restart. We can go and take your sister with us; I'll protect her with my life, I swear. I won't let any harm come to her... Okay?"

Gordy stared at him, thinking. He glanced over at Kerberos. Finally, he sighed and muttered, "Fine. I'm going to go get her." He turned and went to the door, nudging it open.

"Hey, wait a minute," Calamari called. Gordy stopped and looked back.

"What's her name?"

He blinked and smiled. "She's named after Mom. Her name's Poppy."

[...]

"Hey guys! We got some food, so now all we have to do is..."

Jerome stopped and stared out at the sea, jaw hanging open. "Uh..."

Jordan shoved a teal dragon, larger than him yet almost identical sans his scale color, away. He scrambled at the water, shouting, "I got him, I got him. Stop freaking out, I have him!"

The teal dragon turned, head snapping over to the shore, and all of them immediately knew who it was (As if the giant Nether portal sticking halfway out of the water wasn't answer enough).

"Where is he?" he roared, turning back to Jordan. "Where?"

"Right here! Notch, it wasn't as if I ate him or anything."

-"... Sky?"

Sky glanced at the monster and shrugged at her one-worded question. "I don't really know what's happening. Calamari isn't back, though."

The monster hummed and stood back on several of her legs, setting a paw on his shoulder. -"Sky."

Jordan was just dragging himself out of the water, hind legs scrambling at the underwater cliff face. Corari splashed over to him, grinning like mad. He nudged Jordan's shoulder affectionately, turning in a circle and bounding back to shore.

Herobrine had a slightly... colder greeting. The six children huddled up against Jordan, growling at him. Snowy, though, climbed up Jordan's neck, only to be met with another dragon just her size.

The red dragon hissed, but calmed upon seeing who she was. He chirped at her, but padded down the slope of Jordan's nose and sat in between his eyes. "You will give me back to Dad, right now. I do not like your nose—it is not as good. So if you do not mind, out me on the ground or—"

Jordan plucked him off his nose with two claws, setting him back on the ground without any hesitation. The red dragon glanced up at him, then ran over to Herobrine, waiting at the very edge of the surf.

Herobrine hadn't even set a talon on the pebbly shore when Ant was suddenly there, chest puffed out and rumbling with a growl. "No," he said simply.

Herobrine blinked once, and, with a small flick of his wrist, shoved him out of the way. Ant was sent tumbling off his feet, halfway splashing into the water. He stared, mouth still open as if to say something, as the demon set his head down so Aiden could climb on.

"See you at the wall," Herobrine muttered to Jordan, giving him a nod as he walked by.

They stared after him for some time, until he finally spread his wings and jumped. The first try seemed to be a test and he dropped back to the ground. But the next time, he tensed and sprung into the air. Within minutes, he was gone, blending into the blue, blue sky.

[...]

Gordy came back around ten minutes later. Calamari had talked to Kerberos, mapping out the entirety of the _Ursa_ with his claws. He pointed to one part of the map that was sketched into the floor, tapping it. "There is an exit here. We just need to find a way for you to breathe under water, or at least hold your breath for five minutes to get up to the surface."

"There are potions at every docking station," Gordy said suddenly, one wing slung over Poppy's back. She was half asleep, stumbling around like... well, a toddler.

She promptly sat down on a pillow once Gordy had padded over to their map. "Water breathing potions. We steal them from divers, when they come too close."

"Why would you have a stock of those?" Kerberos asked, frowning.

Gordy looked away and shrugged, tapping his fingers against the ground. "No reason," he muttered.

Calamari cleared his throat and sat back on his haunches. "Anyways, all we need to do is get there. Then... we're free."

And suddenly there was a knock on the door. Calamari gasped and snatched to a blanket, accidentally toppling Poppy from her pillow, and threw it over the map.

Not a moment too soon, because just after the knock the human, Jerald, opened the door. "I have a few more questions— What's... going on?"

Kerberos jumped forward, grabbing him up in her claws and slamming the door shut with her tail. "New plan," she said, making sure to muffle the old man's shouts. "We're taking him with us. Get me a blanket. Wrap him up in it."

Gordy nudged Poppy out of the way, and got a blanket. He tossed it over to Calamari, who held it out. Kerberos shoved Jerald into it and quickly rolled him up. Without another thought, she bent her neck down and snatched him up in her mouth. "Le's go," she mumbled around him, turning towards the door and opening.

Calamari turned and knelt down, wordlessly letting Gordy and Poppy climb into his back. He bolted after Kerberos, going up to walk next to her.

Gordy wisely started up a conversation with Kerberos, not leaving a pause for her to respond. Calamari played the part of servant, keeping his head down and his eyes peeled. They passed a few squids, but with one glance at the jabbering Gordy, they left the group of four alone.

They made it to the docking bay soon enough. Kerberos stopped upon the sight of the still pool of water, and dropped Jerald. She looked around and quickly grabbed several ropes, snipping the harpoons off and winding them around the old human, who was still inside the blanket-cocoon.

"Alright, Seto," she murmured, glancing over at Gordy as he showed them where the water breathing potions were. "Your turn."

_"Wait, what? No, I don't—"_

_But he was rudely snatched out of the little brick room he had been building, and tossed into his body. The color shimmered back over his scales, darkening the usual splotches and splashes back into purple. He staggered to the left, only to lose his balance and fall to the ground._

"Hmm?" Calamari lifted his head from the pool, fins dripping with salty water. "What's wrong? Sorcerer?"

"Yep," Seto said, scrambling to his feet. "What do you—"

"Your voithe channgthed," Poppy said suddenly. Seto twisted his neck around, only noticing her when she spoke. She was lying on his back; how she got there, Seto could only guess.

She cocked her head to the left, the gills on her cheeks flapping. She, unlike all the other squids, had no fns on her back. Instead, she had a dolphin-like flipper on the end of her tail, and the webbing on her hands and back feet made it seem as if she didn't even _have _fingers. She grinned, showing dull rows of teeth, and suddenly two leathery ears flicked up from the side of her head. They had been practically invisible, because the outsides were the same dark blue color of her smooth skin, but inside there was an array of purple and green spots and stripes.

Poppy laughed at him, thumping her tail against his back. The purple and green spots littering her neck, back, and tail glimmered in the dim light. She stood and padded away, three feet several shades darker than her blue, and the third leg was entirely purple.

Seto shook his head and walked over to Gordy, then stopped. He paled visibly, and started towards the door. "Oh crap. Gordy, I forgot the—"

"I got it already, Seto," Gordy said, lifting a wing and catching the silver koi idol as it fell. "I thought ahead, because when you weren't you, you didn't seem to really want to remember anything. She isn't the nicest, is she?"

Seto hummed gratefully and took the idol. "What about the harness?"

"I did not find that," Gordy said apologetically, fins drooping. "But at least I got this. We better leave now. Here is a potion for the human, and several for you."

Seto took the splash potion, and tossed it on Jerald. The glass broke, spilling the potion over him.

Gordy had somehow found a bucket and had poured at least five potions into it. "I don't know how long this will last," he said, turning and handing it to Seto. "But it should be enough to get to the surface."

And suddenly there was shouting. Calamari stood abruptly. "They know we're gone. We need to leave, now."

Seto hesitated, and reluctantly picked Jerald back up like Kerberos had. He turned and followed the three squids into the water, the idol clutched tightly to his chest.

All sounds were cut off, other than the constant, low humming of the sea's soft lullaby. Seto folded his wings tightly to his sides, realizing they were probably only slowing him down.

The group climbed to the surface, twisting around chunks of coral and soft tendrils of kelp. Seto raked his claws across the cliff, hauling him further up while he swam. It was awkward, really. He was no meant for swimming, like the squid-dragons were.

Seto cast a glance towards Gordy and his sister. The two were clinging to Calamari's back, holding each other at the same time.

The four of them broke the surface with a gasp. Seto scrambled out of the drop-off, fanning his wings out in an attempt to get into the air. But the feathers making up half of his wings were weighed down by water. He felt like a dog climbing out of a pool as he waded towards the shore. When his fingers finally brushed the pebbly ground, Calamari was already running towards Sky.

"Look," the squid cried happily, twisting his head around to point at Seto. "I got the sorcerer! And oh, the demon is already—"

"Call me that again, and I'll eat you," Jordan growled, looking up from a conversation with Ryan. He glanced over at Seto and smiled, nodding at him.

His smile instantly vanished the moment Seto spat Jerald out.

"Dude! You're alive," Ty shouted, bounding over to the sorcerer. He slung a wing over his shoulder, grinning. "And here I was telling the others that we'd never see you again."

Ian snorted and rolled his eyes. Ant just growled, coiling away and facing Breakfast.

"What did I miss?" Seto asked, glancing around. He silently thanked the gods that Jordan was there, and seemingly in a relatively okay mood. Mitch and Jerome were gone, and Husky was too.

"Not much," Snowy called from Jordan's nose. "I met my friend again, and we are meeting him at the Wall?"

"What?"

And Ant growled again, but didn't stop in the constant one-sided conversation with Breakfast. The Celestial cocked his head to the side, and said something in his language.

"What's that bag?" Jordan asked, tapping one claw in the direction of Jerald, who was still tied up.

"Um..." Seto looked down at the man, then glanced over at the three squids. Gordy and Poppy were talking to Sky's familiar, telling her this and that. She didn't seem to trust them, but she didn't let it show. "He's a man. I think his name is..."

"_Jerald."_

"His name is Jerald."

Jordan's head sat back suddenly, like a snake about to strike. His ears twitched up, and he growled. "Jerald? Let me see him."

Seto frowned at his reaction and paused in untying Jerald. Ty sighed and pushed him away, easily ripping the blanket in half with a single claw.

The old man was water-logged and shaking with fear. He stared up at them, eyes wide with horror. He made a strange squeaking noise, as if he couldn't quite get anything more intelligent than that out.

"Oh," Jordan said, surprised. His ears flattened and he sighed, wings slumping. "Okay. Off to the guillotine, when we get back."

Jerald, being a human and not being able to understand what they were saying, just trembled. But Jordan's little declaration had every head turned towards him. He blinked, studying his claws. "This man is from my kingdom. He already has one charge against him, for trying to kidnap Snowy. And I'm just fed up with him."

"But how are we going to get to your kingdom and order an execution, like this?" Seto asked, being the first one to recover from the blatant way that Jordan had ordered the old man's execution.

Jordan paused, thinking for a moment. Then he smiled, fangs poking out of his upper lip. His eyes gleamed strangely and he said, "Who's up for roasted human tonight?"

Ryan stood and took three full steps away from him. "Not me, thank you."

"I'm kidding," Jordan said, and his grin dropped instantly. "Don't you guys know a joke when you hear one?"

"Well, you could have been... not joking," Sky said softly. "I mean... You know?"

Jordan was silent for a long time. He set a claw over Jerald, dragging him over and holding him down. "I will figure out what to do with him later," he growled, turning back to talk to Cherry and Tiberi.

Seto frowned slightly and shot a glare at Sky, who sighed and shook his head, then padded over to Gordy. "Hey. Thanks for following us up here. We'll keep your sister safe, I promise."

"Oh... Oh, it is okay, Seto," Gordy said, cast a glance at Poppy. She was sitting on the monster's tail, braiding the fur that fanned out at the end. "I think we will be alright. She's strong, you know."

"How old is she?"

"Five months. She was only a week old when Mom..."

Seto hummed, sitting down and watching as the monster reached over and started running her paws over one of Poppy's wings, cleaning it of any seaweed or crusted salt from the water. "Do you... mind if I asked what happened?"

Gordy swallowed and sighed, looking down at his feet. He pushed the pebbles out of the way, and traced a crude drawing in the mud underneath. "Humans. Humans happened."

Seto took a sharp breath, and looked away. "I'm sor—"

"She was trying to return a sword. A sailor had dropped it in the water, one day. Kraken had gotten too hungry, and had broken free from its imprisonment. It attacked a ship, and a whale. It ate the whale, and destroyed the ship. Mom tried to drag the captain to the shore, to save his life. She was always against war, always a pacifist... They killed her." H looked down at the scene he had been scratching out, then sighed and stood. "That's why I try to be so nice. Father was driven mad with grief, and that's why he's like this now.

"Gordy, I—"

"This is why I try to be nice to humans. Because she was right. War isn't the way to go, and people just don't seem to see that." He cast an uncertain glance at Sky before padding away.

Seto frowned and looked down at his drawing. It was of a woman, tentacles running out of her back and a crown atop her head. She was smiling, and her eyes bore into Seto's mind. He tore his gaze away from it and stared at Gordy as the little squid went over to his sister.

"_I know Sky's always hated squids, but after what Gordy has said, I do not think I will ever view the majority of squids the same way again. Sure, there are the bad and the good, but Seto, they are people. Slimy, water-breathing animals, but people all the same." _She sighed and Seto could feel her start to pace. _"Poor little squid though, losing his mother. I do not know what family feels like, but I think I could understand the loss."_

Seto nodded and turned away from Gordy. "Yes," he said, shaking thoughts of his own mother out of his head. "I understand the loss, too. A lot of people do."

"_And that's the problem with life," _Kerberos said. _"People die too much. I wish that they could all just live forever, sometimes."_

"Some of them can," Seto murmured, casting a glance around the large group. How many friends did he have that would outlive him? Jordan, definitely, and the angels. What about Jason? Seto didn't know much about Withers, but if their age expectancy was anything like a dragons, he could live for centuries without ever dying.

"_Not the ones that deserve it, though."_

Yes, it was a harsh thing to say. Seto had a feeling, though, that she was talking about the gods. She never said much about them, and always fell silent whenever they were mentioned. "What about Bodil? And Simon and Baki and Jordan and Nitram?"

"_They're a different story, Seto. I am talking about th Higher Powers— Apollo and Artemis. The Fates, the gods, and even the demons. None of them deserve it."_

"Even the one that created you?"

At this, Kerberos was silent. Seto went over to a tree and curled up under it, watching as Mitch and Jerome came padding out of the forest, hauling dinner along with them

"_The one that created me did not know the pain that being created would cause. It is not her fault. That's all I have on the topic, Seto, let's talk about something else."_

"How about the weather?"

[...]

_The thing knows our names._

**So?**

_This is the reason that I separated the idols. We cannot ever get along._

**I do not want to reiterate myself. Why is it bad that my creation knows our names? Your petty gods know, so why can't they?**

_Because THEY are pure evil._

**No, I do not think so. Notch's one seems to be quite passive, and so does that fail of a god's.**

_Do not talk about Him. He was a disappointment, that is all._

**Haha, I supposed you throw all your opinions about your creations around like that? What about that volcano, did it insult you, too? Or is it ugly?**

_The only thing that is ugly that is in my sight are those evil Ender beings that you made._

**Well, excuse me, but I do not see your angels are very beautiful. In fact, that black and green one does not even match. And what about his counterpart, hmm? I thought you vowed never to make such a devilish being?**

_The worlds had to be balanced, and I do not know how to create anything that you would usually make._

**Keep telling yourself that...**

_When do you suppose they will reach the Northern Wall?_

**I have already created another being to test them. They will have to take a detour, and that ill lead them to the Oracle.**

_You are evil. Hat thing is ont to be messed with, and you know that. What if one of them wishes for something catastrophic?_

**Then I will not allow it. It is simply like wishing on one of my stars, sir. Sometimes I let them come true, sometimes I do not.**

_*sigh* ... You are very bull-headed. I cannot believe that I am stuck with you._

**And you are too, sir.**

_... Only allow two of them to wish upon the Oracle... Be it the sorcerer, or the half-angel. I am interested to see in what they would wish for._

**So be it.**

_I have a very bad feeling about this._

* * *

**So... There's a reference near the top, and then the two Fates just had another normal conversation. Seto escaped, and Jordan's threatening to eat Jerald...**

**Poor Jerald.**

**Hope you enjoyed, and sorry for not updating yesterday and the day before. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading, guys. Stay awesome, and amazing. 'cause you are.**

**-Cold**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - Never Been Better**

"Once we pass the sea," Jordan said, pointing north with a wingtip. "We'll fly into the mountains. It's about a day's trip from here. If we leave soon, we can reach the mountains before the sun sets. This can give us time to find a place to sleep."

"Wait, I thought the mountain range was, like, _three _days away," Bodil said, green wings hunching slightly. "Are you sure?"

Jordan paused, mouth open slightly.

"The mountain range doesn't come until we go through some plains." Sky frowned and shook his head. "It's about two day's flight, if we make good time."

Seto sat at the outside of the group, listening to them. It was quickly going downhill and a fight was inevitable.

"Seto."

Seto turned and smiled. "Yeah, Jason?"

Jason was sitting back on his haunches, hands curled up to his stomach. Cambriel was sitting on his back, bare feet set on a joint in his armor. "I don't think I can go on. I..."

"What's wrong?"

"You are stupid, sorcerer," Cambriel hissed, standing up. "Show him, Talath."

Jason swallowed slightly and set one of his hands down on the ground, only to pick it back up the moment black vines started eating away at the dirt and grass. "It's getting stronger, Seto," he said, cast a glance around the group. His tail shifted to settle over the erosion, hiding it. "And I don't have any gloves to keep it out of the way."

"But where will you go?" Seto asked, sitting back on his haunches. He spread his wings and growled, baring his teeth slightly. He would not lose a friend on this journey. "Jason, you're a twenty-foot tall ~dragon~"

"I know," Jason said, waddling backwards awkwardly. HIs ducked his head, fingers curling slightly. "But I don't want to risk it. What if I accidentally brush up against someone, and they start to wither away?"

"That won't happen," Seto said, shaking his head and bristling. "Jason, have you ever thought about how a lot of our friends aren't _human_? Look at Jordan, and then there's me. Like, I have a _voice_ inside my freaking _head_."

"You what?"

"You might be a Wither, Jason, but I know you better than that. I grew up with you—the you who used to squash beetles and make flower crowns with your step-sister. You aren't going to intentionally hurt anybody, okay?"

Jason looked back at Cambriel, frowning. He glanced at Seto and opened his mouth. "But-"

"Jason. Do you forget me?" Seto asked, and held out a hand. Purple and silver swirls danced up from his claws like fire, illuminating the scales on his arm and paw. "I know several spells to stop the Withering effect. If anything happens, it'll be okay."

Jason looked unsure, and as if to test what Seto said, he set his hand on the ground. Black crept out and started sipping the life out of anything it touched. Seto set his lips into a determined grimace, and place his paw over the effect.

His frown deepened, but when he took his paw off the grass was alive again and the withering effect was gone. "Happy?"

Jason stared at it, then nodded. He sighed and looked down at his paws. "Hey Cambriel, what about you?"

"I can just stay here on your back, Talath," she said, shifting. She brushed a long lock of black hair out of her eyes, only to have it fall over her face again. She looked completely wild—black and grey eyes barely visible from behind her unruly hair. She had on a simple T-shirt and jeans, both baggy over her smaller frame. Why she wasn't a dragon too, Seto could only guess. Maybe the spell didn't work on her because she had been a Wither for a longer time than Jason had.

"How about we just leave now?" Ant suddenly roared, finally fed up with the growing argument. "It'll be easier on all of us, and if we don't reach the mountains by sundown, we can stop wherever we are. Alright?"

It took the others a moment, but eventually a murmur of agreement traveled over them.

"Then let's go," Sky said, only to have Calamari suddenly jumped on his back.

"I am riding on you," the squid said, claws carefully curling into his scales for a grip. The monster growled and slipped up onto Sky's shoulders. The ruff on the sides of her head rose, and she growled. _"My Sky."_

"Come on, guys," Sky said, shifting his weight. "You can share my back. But Cal. do you have to-"

"I do not like what the demon smells like anymore," Calamari said stubbornly, nose crinkling. "Like sulfur, and fire. Like the Nether, and I don't like the Nether."

"I do _not_ smell," Jordan hissed, lifting his head and effectively dumping Corari onto the ground.

"Yes you do," Calamari shot back.

"Well fine," Ryan said suddenly, climbing up onto Jordan's back. "More room for me. Just stop arguing about it." And, quieter, he added, "You _do_ smell like the Nether, Jordan."

Jordan snorted, ears folding back. He set a paw down for Corari to climb up, and went cross-eyed when Snowy started talking to him.

Seto watched everyone for a bit, until he felt a tugging on his tail.

"Do we haft to fwy?" Poppy asked, navy eyes wide. Her flipper-like tail was taping against the ground anxiously, and her wings were hunched. "I don't like fwying."

"It's fun Poppy," Gordy said, padding over to her. "It's much better than swimming."

Her eyes widened, and she looked at him. "Weally?"

He nodded, and smiled, then jumped up onto Seto's back. "Yeah. Come on, let me help you up."

Poppy stared at him, then bunched her muscles and clumsily jumped up onto Seto. He twisted his neck around to watch them, and it occurred to him that this was probably the first time Poppy had been on land. "I'll fly easy," he said, smiling. "I promise."

Gordy nodded at him, and set a wing over Poppy's back, showing her how to hold onto the fur running down Seto's back.

"Everyone ready?" Without waiting for an answer, Bodil leaped into the air. He hovered for a moment, wings pumping in a circular motion to keep him in the air. Baki leaped up after him, flying in slow circles.

Seto nodded and shook his wings, grabbing the koi fish idol when it fell out from under his left wing. He twisted his arm over his shoulder. "Here, Gordy, hold on to this."

Gordy took it, then huddled back down next to Poppy. Seto shifted, digging his hind claws into the dirt, and jumped, spreading his wings. He pumped them once and air ballooned up under the webbing and feathers, giving him lift.

Seto looked back to find almost everyone else had already gotten into the air. Jerome had some trouble, with his furry wings, but eventually got up by springing off a tree.

"And we're off!" Bodil called, grinning widely.

"At least you are!" Nitram shot back, falling in behind him. Simon did a fancy-looking flip, and flew next to Nitram. Baki joined the formation a moment later, cutting off his conversation with Ghost. The gold and black dragon paused for a moment, but when Bodil turned his head around and shouted, "What are you waiting for?" he smiled and darted up to join the v-formation.

_"You know, that's kind of clever," _Kerberos murmured at the back of Seto's head_. "The way they do that, I mean. It reduces friction." _

Seto hummed, but made no attempt to join them. He like the feeling of being completely free—not weighed down by others or gravity. It was a feeling he was quickly learning to enjoy the most of, because he knew that as soon as they got the other relic, it would be gone.

The thought made him pause, and he glanced around. "Have I... Have I done the right thing?" he muttered, noticing how happier his friends were. The only ones who seemed to be unhappy were Jordan and Ant, but that was probably because they were flying right next to each other.

_"What do you mean?" _

"Originally, I thought this would be a bad idea because nobody seemed to like it, but now..." Seto sighed and trailed off, looking down at the beach running under them. "Now I wonder if they'll even _want_ to transform back."

Kerberos was silent as she thought. A few minutes passed, and she finally said, _"Give them a choice, Seto. When you get the other relic, there will be no doubt some of them will want to change back. If you force all of them into one decision, it will only put us back where we started. I already see improvement in the angels' behavior. Simon has started talking to Bodil again, and the newer one isn't exactly evil anymore." _

Seto glanced over at the v-formation, watching them. They were like children, whacking each other with their wingtips and joking about anything under the sun.

_"The only ones I am concerned about are Jordan and Ant. They aren't getting any better around each other. If you ask me, it's only getting worse." _

"Well, hopefully—"

And suddenly, Seto found Breakfast flying in front of him. The Celestial dragon turned, grinning ear to ear, and barked, "Grug, dep ri. Na so, na so."

Seto frowned at him, lifting a lip. And, much to Breakfast's surprise, he said, "Kre grug ki. me'ser, me'ser, ru ma."

Breakfast bristled, and spun away, zipping back over to Ant and complaining. The larger dragon frowned at the Celestial, but glanced over to Seto when Breakfast pointed at him.

"What'd you say, Seto?" Ant called, dropping back to fly next to the sorcerer. "I mean, what did _he_ say?"

"He said that I was so ugly, I would never find anybody that would love me," Seto said, shrugging with a rather bored expression. "He acts like a child, Ant. How have you been raising him?"

"Well, it's hard to raise him when I don't understand him," Ant muttered crossly.

Seto paused and thought for a moment. "Well... I could teach you how to understand him. It'll take a while, because you're older, and it's hard to learn Rune when you aren't young. But I can teach you."

"Will you?" Ant asked, glancing over at Breakfast.

Seto nodded. "First off, you'll want to learn how to say 'yes'."

"Oh. We're starting at the basics, aren't we?" Ant huffed, ears drooping slightly.

"Well. duh. Of course we are. Don't expect to immediately know how to make entire speeches in Rune when you're first learning it. Yes is 'Kreh'. It could be formed into 'Kre' for yeah, or yep, or anything along those lines."

"Kray?"

"No, that's 'insane'," Seto said. "Kreh. Not Kray."

"Oh," Ant murmured, then tried to say Kreh several times over. When he finally had it down, he said, "So what's 'no'?"

"Na."

"Nah."

"No, that's nope. Na has a shorter sound on the 'a'. Na."

Ant heaved a sigh and repeated what he said, only to be corrected again. "This is going to take a long time, isn't it?"

Seto nodded. "It took me five years to finally get down. If it makes you feel better, you never use the letter 'o' unless you're talking to a higher power. Like gods, or real dragons like Aetherians."

This only made Ant heave a deeper sigh.

[...]

"Look, I told you so," Jordan shouted when the first mountain rose up to meet them. "We're here before sundown."

In the ten hours of flying, they had all got fed up with it. Bodil had landed several times and run a bit, resting his wings. Others had done the same thing, following his example when he explained it kept you from getting a muscle pulled. He had effectively classified everybody into certain groups, too.

He classified them into speed, stamina, and maneuverability categories. They had just looked at him weird, but when he finally gave some helpful advice like 'keep your wings straight and fly behind and to the right or left of someone,' he turned into a huge help. Or how if they didn't pump their wings as much, and glided more, it would be less work.

Seto had the honor of leading a small v-formation, with Ian and Sky behind him.

And that was when he noticed how Ian was _twitching_.

At first, he thought nothing of it. But when the blue and black dragon finally lurched to the side, nearly knocking Sky out of the air, then jerked back into his spot, Seto noticed it. He made sure to keep an eye on him, watching his strange movements.

"You don't need to r-r-r-r-rub it in, J-J-Jordan," Ian said, tripping over his words. Seto twisted his neck around and frowned at him.

"Ian, are you okay?" Sky asked, concerned. Ian quickly nodded, and smiled. "Yeah, dude! Of _course_ I'm okay! I've never been better!"

Seto frowned at him, studying his facial expression. His left cheek was twitching badly, making his smile lopsided, and his eyes were wide. What really scared Seto, though, were how his normally dazzling eyes were glazed over, almost to the point of being foggy.

"Never been better," Ian repeated, ducking his head and running a paw over his nose.

"Jordan," Seto called uncertainly, turning back around. "Let's find somewhere to make camp."

"I can go scouting for a good spot," Ian said, but suddenly dipped in the air. He played it off, and continued down into the valley below. The group stopped moving forward, most of the dragons flying in circles because they couldn't hover.

"I guess we'll wait," Seto murmured.

[...]

He didn't return. They waited a good thirty minutes before Sky heaved a sigh and dropped down. "Calamari and I will go look for him," he called, landing on the dirt. "If we don't return in ten minutes, start looking for us."

Calamari got off his back, stumbling slightly at the sudden stillness of the ground. He paused and tasted the air, tongue flicking out. After a moment, he said, "This way," and started walking away.

Sky followed him, ignoring the fact that the monster started coiling tighter around his neck. It was utterly silent, and when the gentle slopes of the mountains suddenly swerved up and created a crevice, the uneasy feeling in the pit of Sky's stomach grew.

Calamari pressed on, though, ignoring the utter silence of the place. Stone walls surrounded their sides, towering over them and blocking out the sun. It grew colder, and when one of the walls of the cliff opened into a gigantic cave, the squid paused.

He looked over at the cave, fins rising at a slight wheezing sound. "He is in there," Calamari murmured, "but there is something very, very wrong."

"He's in trouble," Sky said in alarm, leaping forward. But Calamari quickly jumped in front of him, fins rigid. "No. Sky, he is not in trouble."

And then Sky noticed how his monster was starting to growl: a deep, rolling sound coming from her chest. _"Sky,"_ she warned, shaking his head.

"B-but," Sky sputtered, staring into the bluish cave. And suddenly, a b right spark of blue fire lit it up. Ian was illuminated for just a second, but it was enough.

He looked to be in pain, but the eerie way he was so still was terrifying. Blue fire trailed from his nostrils, and one arm went across the stone floor, claws scraping against it.

Sky shoved Calamari out of the way and ran over to his friend. "Ian! Ian, look at me. Hey, Ian, dude."

Ian's eyes slowly opened, foggy and lifeless. After a moment, he blinked and looked over at Sky, and the glazed look cleared. "Dad? Are you proud of me yet?"

Sky frowned and sat back slightly. What a strange thing to say. "Ian, I'm Sky."

"Who's... Sky?" Ian blinked again, and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and opened them again. "Sky? Where- where am I?"

He rolled onto his stomach, and glanced around. "How did I get here?"

"I don't... I don't know what's happening to you, Ian," Sky said, pushing Calamari away from his friend. "But you found a cave good enough for us all to stay in."

Calamari huffed and padded out of the cave.

"But I... Can I tell you something, Sky?"

"Yeah," Sky said, smiling. "Of course you can."

"I'm not—"

"Hey, guys! There's even more caves out here!" Calamari called suddenly, running back to the entrance of the cave. "Come check it out."

Sky nodded and waved a wing, then turned to Ian. "Tell me later, alright? But right now, can you go get the others?"

Ian sighed softly and nodded, standing up. He padded to the cave's exit, head hanging slightly. He looked up, then spread his wings and jumped, scrabbling up the cliff's stone. "Hey dudes!" he shouted, getting the attention of the group. "We found something!"

And as his friends started to come down, he was shown how blatantly different he was. They expressed real emotion, not forcing it like he had to do all the time. They laughed and joked, dropping down into the caves that ran through the cliff. Each cave was almost identical, with the same smoothed, bluish walls and sandy floor.

Ian sat near the entrance of one cave, wings hunched as he stared out at the darkening sky. He sighed and laid down, front paws draping over the cliff. He looked over his shoulder, watching as Mitch and Jerome started rough-housing, eventually bringing Sky and Ty into it, too. Ian hunched his shoulders and turned away, making a soft keening noise in his throat.

The first star appeared, and he blinked. It twinkled at him, bright against the dark night sky, like a diamond. "I wish..."

Ian sighed and paused, then repeated the old nursery rhyme is 'mom' taught him. "Star light, star bright. The first star I see tonight... I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."

He heard one of his friends laugh at a joke, and he sighed. Ian closed his eyes and put his paws over his head. "I wish the real Ian never died, and that he was still alive... I wish I wasn't ever made."

* * *

**Artificial Ian is now a thing. Tell your friends. Make it spread. I am creating it, and it is my baby, and I care for it now. Because I'm writing a one-shot about it, and it is very special.**

**_Special_.**

**And if you're confused about Artificial Ian, go ahead and be confused. The one-shot explaining him isn't up yet, but I needed to get this out. So yeah, it's okay to be confused. All you really need to know is the Ian is technically an artificial life, cloned from someone who's dead. I'll explain everything when I post the one-shot tomorrow. Trust me.**

**Hope you enjoyed, guys. Leave a review, tell me what you think. I might be able to get the one-shot up tomorrow, so look forward to that. Thanks for all the support, I love you guys. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 - Viper**

"Hey, dude."

Ian lifted his head and smiled at Sky. "Hey Sky."

"So you wanted to tell me something?" Sky asked, sitting down next to the larger dragon. Ian sat up, tail curling around his feet, but stayed silent.

When it was clear that he didn't want to say anything, Sky sighed and looked up at the stars. "So what are you doing?"

"Just watching the night," Ian replied, looking up.

"Wishing on a star?" Sky asked, half-amused, as he looked up.

Ian shrugged his wings, etching a simple five-pointed star into the ground. "It's silly, I know. It won't ever come true..."

"What'd you wish for?"

"Nothing much."

They fell silent. Sky stared up at the moon, which peeked at them from over the cliff. Ian stared down at his crudely-drawn star. Sky suddenly broke the silence with: "Where are the bugs?"

Ian lifted his head and frowned, glancing over at him. "What?"

Sky stood and leaned out of the cave, brown eyes stretched wide to see in the dark.

Calamari padded up to the two, nostrils flared. "There's something wrong," he hissed, staring pointedly over to the cave in which Breakfast and Ant were sleeping in. "There's something... Even the animals have stopped."

Ian hadn't noticed it, but they were right. He listened, and noticed how the only sound was of his friends. He glanced over to Jordan when the demigod shifted, making a few rocks tumble down the cliff side. He looked around, bright eyes glowing. "Everybody quiet," he rumbled, and that brought the attention of everyone.

Calamari shivered suddenly, fins rising with the feeling of being watched. "It's in Ant's cave," he murmured, navy eyes never leaving the darkened opening. Breakfast's colorful tail, which was hanging over the cliff, and the gleam of Ant's pendant were the only things they could see.

Seto padded to the entrance of his own cave, which was the smallest of the five caves. He, Agnus Gordy, and Poppy were the only ones to comfortably fit into it. The angels' group was in the highest cave, and all were seemingly asleep. Jordan and his children had the largest cave, and then Ant had the cave tying for second. The rest of the group had been stuffed into one cave, with a fireplace that Sky had puffed a breath of flame on.

But now it was utterly silent. Other than the crackling of the fire, and the scrap of claws against stone as the others came to the entrance to see, there wasn't a sound.

And suddenly Seto hissed and whipped around. The moonlight washed over his scales as he grabbed Gordy and Poppy and slowly slid down the steep slope. Rocks crumbled beneath his paws, falling into the murky river at the bottom of the crevice. Agnus peered out over the cave he had just gotten out of, violet eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"Guys," Seto whispered, "these caves aren't ours. Everybody, get out. Very, very slowly."

"Seto, what's wrong?" Ian whispered, but started to spread his wings.

"No, don't fly. It'll find you easier," Seto warned, and finally dropped down into the ankle-deep water. He quickly but quietly waded over to the stone shore, not making a sound. "One at a time, don't make much—"

And suddenly Breakfast screamed, and slid out of the cave writhing like a worm. Ant was soon to follow. He was grappling with a long, snake-like creature.

Seto gave a rather embarrassing squawk when Breakfast landed on him. The Celestial twisted, clawing at his eyes and screeching something in Rune."Mre! Mre, na!"

"Get off me, you big lard!" Seto cried, slipping away when Breakfast coiled into a pitiful call. "Let me see your eyes. Ki je gahu mre!"

Breakfast whined to him, keening in pain. But he forced his hands away, revealing a strange, maroon-colored tar that covered half his face. Seto was quick to breathe a lick of silver flame over it, making the tar melt right off.

Breakfast ran his paws over his eyes, rubbing them, but Seto slapped his hands away. "That will only make it worse. Ian!" he called, Ian being the first one he saw. "Get the others; tell them to fly to the top of the ravine. The aspis won't leave its territory, not with how many of us there is."

"The what?" Ian asked, bewildered. He tore his gaze away from Ant, who was twisting away from the creature, painfully raking his claws over his face. He was screaming: a horrible, heart-wrenching cry that went unanswered.

"Just get out!" Seto called, shoving Gordy and Poppy into Breakfast's hands. He started bounding towards Ant, and that was when he got a clear view of the attacking creature.

It was long, with a dark, dark muddy brown coloring. But the moonlight caught it, and the crimson spots on its leathery skin glimmered. At first, Seto felt his heart jump to his throat. But they weren't blood—they were just markings. The two feathery wings on its shoulders flared, showing off their brilliant pattern of red and tan. It slid up the cave wall using its front legs; there were no hind legs. It was very, very long, but skinny and wasn't built for fighting other dragons.

"Who can sing?" Seto cried, running towards Ant and jumping onto his back. The larger dragon tried to roll on top f him, probably thinking he was the aspis. But Seto quickly shot a jet of silvery fire over Ant's face, thanking the gods that dragons were fire-resistant.

Ant calmed shortly after, but he lay gasping in the muddy water.

"Guys!" Seto screeched, shooting a jet of flame at the aspis as it tried to get to the angels. "Someone, sing already! Make music, or something!"

"Jordan, you can sing," Ryan said, looking up at Jordan. The larger dragon shook his head, though, bringing his children close to his sides with a sweep of his massive wings. "Nope," he said simply.

"Nope?! What do you mean, 'nope'?" Sky shouted, and spread his wings. The aspis turned suddenly, small ears pricking up. It hissed and leaped off the cliff face, and its head finally came into view.

Its eyes were a soft orange, like a sunset. The shape of its head was more like a cat's, with a small mouth and nose, and large eyes. What used to look like skin turned out to be very short and very dense fur. It had a mane, which traveled down its neck, but ended before it reached the shoulders.

The aspis turned its orange gaze onto Sky, eyes glowing in the darkness. It hissed and started flying towards him.

Jordan paused and frowned as the aspis started flying towards Sky. He sighed and went to the very edge of his cave, halfway unfurling his wings to keep his balance. He glanced up, then back down and started singing.

"Twinkle twinkle little star—"

The aspis suddenly stopped, hovering in the air. It cocked its head to the side, small ears twitching, and turned in a full circle to face the demigod.

"How I wonder what you are."

It swayed slightly, orange eyes dulling, and suddenly dropped from the sky. It landed in a huddled mess of fur and feathers, purring with enough force to run off all the animals in the immediate vicinity.

Seto yelped, jumping out of the way of the aspis' limp form. He watched it for a moment, then glanced around.

In the distance, a cricket started up its never-ending solo, which was quickly added to until it was a chorus. Seto let out a sigh, and walked over to the sleeping form. He didn't touch it at first, but after a moment, he nudged its shoulder and rolled it onto its side. "We need to get out of these mountains," he declared. "And as soon as possible. We don't want to run into an older one that has experience against its weakness. Come on, guys, let's scram."

"Father, what is that thing?" Agnus asked, jumping up and half-flying, half-crawling up the cliff.

"An aspis," Seto answered, doing the same. He clawed away a boulder and got to the top, then turned around and started to help her up. His gaze found Breakfast, who was sitting next to Ant with Gordy and Poppy clutched close to his chest. The two squids would be safe, even in the arms of that wild Celestial.

"They live in the mountains," Seto said as he helped Agnus onto the flat top above the crevice. "Usually in caves. They live alone, so that's one good thing. I just hope it won't—"

Jordan roared suddenly, halfway out into the open. He twisted his neck around and hissed, ears flattening. But instead of being met with another hiss, the aspis—which had a tight hold on his tail—purred, and rubbed its cheek against his scales.

"Get off me, you worm!" Jordan growled, struggling the rest of the way out of the crevice.

"Don't worry Jordan," Seto called, hiding a chuckle. "It won't come out of the ravine—"

And suddenly the aspis flung itself out, latching onto Jordan's back this time. It crooned and purred, winding around his neck like a scarf. And much to the demigod's embarrassment, he heard laughing. Jordan turned and opened his mouth, as if to defend himself, but it turned out to be his children who were laughing, and not any of the others.

Suddenly the aspis wound up his neck, and set its paws on his nose. "Sing, friend," it said with a thick British voice. "You do sound very lovely. Did you know that?"

"Hey look! Jordan's got a new friend," Sky joked, turning to help Calamari out of the ravine. Jordan cast him a glance, then looked over at Seto. The sorcerer just shrugged and said, "They either want to eat you, poison you, or stay with you once you sing to them. Looks like you've got good luck, Jordan."

"Oh, yes, very," the aspis said, twisting around and sitting on the back of Jordan's neck. "It is very lonely, ever since Brother has gone. But I like you."

"Wait, we're just gonna let it come with us?" Ant growled, squirming out of the ravine.

"No," Jordan said, turning to glare at him. "No, it's staying here."

"I am not an 'it'," the aspis hissed indignantly, bristling. "I am a 'he'."

"You don't sound like it," Ant shot back. "You sound like a girl."

"Come on guys," Seto shouted, rearing onto his hind legs and jumping in front of the three. "Look, you can come with us, as long as you don't hurt anybody."

"Don't worry!" the aspis shouted happily, sliding off Jordan to curl around his feet. "My skin is not lethal until I turn ninety. I am only nineteen."

"Great," Jordan muttered, shaking him off his feet.

"No. Nu-uh, it isn't coming with us," Ant said crossly, shaking his head stubbornly. He took a step forward, raising one paw as if to slice the small creature through.

The aspis hissed suddenly, and it opened its jaws wide. The inside of its mouth was much like a snake's, with two fangs and a very skinny tongue. It was colored a very dark purplish-maroon, growing darker further down its throat.

Surprisingly, Ant backed down. He closed his eyes and turned away, growling. "Fine," he muttered, and padded towards Breakfast.

The aspis closed his mouth and grinned triumphantly, turning to the others. "My name is Leo, by the way."

Seto nodded and dropped down onto all fours. "Excuse me, Leo, but could you go introduce yourself to everyone else while I talk to Jordan?"

"Is that your name?" Leo asked, looking up at Jordan. He twisted and dragged himself up the demigod's shoulder, shoving Corari, who had just gotten up, off of his back. "This is my Jordan, excuse me, you cannot sit here."

The Ender dragon hissed and leaped back up, only to have Jordan shake both of them off. Seto cleared his throat and caught the aspis' attention. Leo sighed and slunk away, going over to Calamari and puffing out his chest as he introduced himself.

"Jordan," Seto said quickly, bounding over to him, "Leo is never going to leave you alone. I hope you realize that, right? Aspides* love music, especially the young ones. You've probably doomed yourself to having him follow you around for the rest of your life."

"We'll work it out later," Jordan murmured, looking over at Leo. The others were shifting away from him, not making eye contact. Except for Calamari, and surprisingly Sky's familiar. They didn't seem to mind the two-legged aspis. "Right now, the only thing that matters is that he isn't spitting poison into our eyes."

Seto nodded in agreement and went over to Breakfast, who was just reaching up to rub his eyes. The usual lilac coloring was shot with red veins, irritating the poor Celestial.

"If you rub them they'll only get worse." Seto grabbed Gordy and Poppy out of his arms, letting the two squids crawl onto his back.

Breakfast grumbled and set his paw on the ground, tail sweeping over the ground. He turned and padded away, hurrying over to Ant.

"Father, isn't this aspis what you were talking about a few weeks ago?" Agnus asked when Seto came back over to her. "Didn't you need one's heart, or—"

Seto laughed loudly, interrupting her. He rubbed a horn, casting a wary glance over to Leo. "What do you mean, Agnus?" he asked, giving a slight shake of his head.

"Oh," she murmured, blinking. "I guess I heard wrong, then."

[...]

"Look, King-dude, they got Jerald. I ain't gonna sit back an' watch 'im get eaten."

Derpsolu growled at May, tapping his claws**_. "I'm working on it. I have sent out many messengers, and I am warning all the other squid colonies of the gigantic flock of scaly beasts booking it towards the Northern Wall."_**

May glared at him, skin crinkling as she frowned. "No need ta be so sarcastic, mister. You get me a dragon, one that can fly, an' I'm goin' after them."

**_"Impossible,"_** Derpsolu hissed, fins rising at the thought of giving a silly human one of _his _servants.**_ "They will surely capture you as well."_**

"Look, man, Jerald might be a big dork, but he's the one thing I have to get ta the kingdom. Ya know what a few dragons hides will be sold for there? _Thousands _of dollars. But ever since their king got 'dose silly Ender dragons of his, selling any sort of draconic material has been illegal. I'm tryin' ta make a livin' here, and I need yer help. Now, get me a beast, so I can go after the old man."

Derpsolu growled at her, putting his head down to look her in the eye. The thought of giving her—a silly human—any of something that was _his, _was simply ridiculous. His servants were _his, _not hers. He opened his mouth—

"And I know 'nough 'bout dragons ta know that ya think all dese squids 're yours. But listen here, buddy, if ya can't stand to give up just _one, _then you are neva' gonna get that other relic. Ain't that the goal of everythin'? Hmm?"

May had a point. If Derpsolu kept going with this greedy behavior, he would get nowhere. And though it bothered him to be talked to in such a way—he was a king, after all, and kings should not be disrespected—he knew that she was right.

He stared at her for a long moment, cold steel eyes narrowed. Finally, he sighed, and lifted his head back up**_. "Fine. You may have Morc. He is a quick flyer, from what I have heard. Go now, and get the old man back before they get too far away."_**

May bowed, smirking at her victory, and turned and left.

[...]

"You are a very fine person, love," Leo purred, "Can you sing again for me?"

Jordan growled at him, shifting away from the snake-like beast. He threw a wing over the five Ender dragons piled together at his side.

"He seems nice, Papa," Snowy whispered, sitting on Jordan's nose. "He hasn't lifted a finger to harm anybody, either."

"Yes, but he won't leave me alone," Jordan grumbled, pushing Leo away with a wing. He had tried to curl up next to him, like his children. Leo didn't complain; instead, he clambered up onto Jordan's back and snuggled against his scales, still crooning out compliments and questions.

"Do you have a hoard, friend? I have only ever seen a few pieces of gold, from caravans who had traveled through the mountains, but the humans fled from me whenever I tried to ask them for any. Eventually, I started eating them. Humans are much tastier than goats, and birds. Did you know, Jordan, that a certain species of strange flying people come through here? They make quite good snacks, too, but I had to throw the one I had back up because it kept kicking and screaming."

Jordan cast a glance over to Bodil, Simon, and Baki, who were all staring, wide-eyed, at the aspis. Baki stood and padded a good twenty feet away, curling into a ball with his eyes trained on Leo. The others were soon to follow his example, and any conversation within their group ceased to exist.

"Leo—"

"And _one _time, when Brother was still here, we caught a herdsman. He had a whole _herd _of cows and pigs, but they tasted very strange. And they did not run like other animals do; they kind of just sat there and _let _us eat them—"

This earned a concerned lance form Ian and he promptly stood to pad around to the other side of the campfire the group was sitting around.

"And then there were these strange squids that came by, carrying this one man with a very white T-shirt. He was all bound up, and was not awake. I was so-very tempted to eat all of them, since they were making very slow progress—"

"Was that when I had been captured a few years back?" Ty whispered to Sky, scooting a few inches away. "Remember, when I had to do that parkour map with you and Jason**?"

"And then one time the world glitched, and it was black and blue. This strange man came out of it, but I ate him too***—"

"Alright, Leo," Jordan snapped suddenly, turning and growling. The aspis grinned suddenly, and purred happily. "Oh, you said my name, and—"

"_Please _shut up," Ant hissed, lifting his head and glaring at Leo. "I'm trying to sleep. I don't care if you're going to spit poison at me, but just _shut up._"

Leo hmphed and fell silent. He slid off of Jordan's back and curled up in front of the demigod's chest, right in between his arms. "Well, at least I have Jordan. You only have that snobby Celestial. And a stupid head, too. You have no brain, do you? In fact, I bet you don't even have any—"

Jordan reached over and clamped the aspis' jaws shut, bending his head down and whispering something in his ear. Leo paused, then nodded the best he could. Jordan let go of him and laid his head down, curling around the five Ender dragons. Corari sleepily disentangled himself from the pile of his siblings, crawling up onto Jordan's back and falling asleep there.

Jordan sighed and shook his head slightly, closing one eye, and keeping the other open to watch everybody else.

"Hey Seto, why is that new creature so talkative?" Gordy asked, shifting on the sorcerer's back.  
And why did we not go back into the caves?"

"Aspides generally live alone," Seto replied, yawning. "And being alone like that drives them stir-crazy. Feel lucky, Gordy, that we got to him sooner. If he was any older, I bet he would be trying to kill us all. Normally, grown aspides are extremely territorial."

"He said that he has eaten humans before. Will he eat you guys once you turn back?"

Seto yawned again and shrugged. "Probably not, as long as Jordan is alive. And besides, aspides live only three centuries. They've got one of the shortest lifespan for being related to the dragon family. I think he sees Jordan as an irreplaceable friend, now. He will not just suddenly decide to eat everybody, just because they aren't dragons."

Gordy hummed, still uncertain, and brought the sleeping Poppy closer to his side. What if Leo did try to eat them, though? What if he ate Poppy? Or Gordy? Or, heck, even Seto? What would the others do? Surely, they would kill the aspis. It would be what he deserved, of course. An eye for an eye, as the saying went.

"But..." Gordy sighed and trailed off, looking up at the half-moon.

"If you're worried about Poppy, then know that she's perfectly safe. Calamari and I swore to never let any harm come to her, remember? I don't break my promises."

"Alright... So what are we going to do with the human?"

Seto cast a glance over to Jerald, who was tied up and sitting against a very uncomfortable-looking rock. The firelight gleamed off his spectacles, making it impossible to tell if he was asleep or not. "I suppose we'll keep him prisoner, until we turn human again," Seto answered, shrugging a wing.

"Speaking of which, Seto, what will happen to me when we get both idols?"

Seto stopped, mouth closing. He looked down at the silver koi fish cradled in his paws, staring at his reflection.

"Seto?"

Seto swallowed and took a deep breath. "Gordy," he started, then stopped, and closed his mouth. After a moment, he craned his neck around and gave a fake smile. "You'll be fine. You'll go back to your squid form, you know?"

"Oh, okay," Gordy said, reassured. He smiled and said goodnight, curling around Poppy.

Seto sighed and stared at him for a long time before finally murmured a 'goodnight' back to him. He turned to glance at Agnus, who was curled up next to Solari. The two Ender dragons were on the outskirts of the pile of black scales, and Jordan's wingtip barely brushed them.

The sorcerer set his head on his paws, eyes traveling up to the sky. It would be morning, in six hours or so. He should get—

_"You should get some sleep."_

Seto smiled slightly, but said nothing. For once, Kerberos left it at that. She didn't press him to sleep, like she always used to. Instead, she sat back in the far corner of his mind and let him think.

Truthfully, he didn't know what would happen to Gordy. Or Calamari, for that matter. They could both despawn, o maybe just crumple into oblivion. Would they die? Would they live?

Not knowing those things was going to drive Seto insane. He was sure of it. But for now, it was late, and he should really—

_"I'm telling you, wizard. Go to sleep. Just... Don't worry about anything, and close your eyes. Sleep."_

Seto sighed and shut his eyes tight, listening to the breathing of his friends and the crackling of the burning fire. A log shifted and fell, sending orange and gold sparks dancing up into the dark night sky.

* * *

***Aspides: The plural form of _Aspis, _a two-legged, venomous creature that lives in the mountains. It's fabled to spit a tar-like poison into its enemies' eyes to blind it. The poison has no lasting effects, but causes irritation to the eyes once removed by fire.**

**** The parkour map Ty is talking about is Epic Jump Map: Butter Edition. Jason, Sky, and Ty went on a quest to save Ty (he was with them as a hologram, because he was stuck in a jail cell.) from the squids.**

***** The devil Leo is talking about is NOT Nadroj, Nitram, Ikab, Otes, etc. It's just a random devil, that's all. But he is talking about a glitch, like the one Nitram came out of.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed. Introduced a new character, finally showed what happened to May after Jerald was kidnapped, and made almost all of the group uncomfortable to be in the presence of Leo. I have special plans for him... _Special._**

**Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for all the support, guys. You're all awesome, and I can't tell you how much I love you. Stay awesome like that, okay? It goes for all of you.**

**-Cold**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 19 - Cattle Hoarder**

"Hey, hey feathers!" Leo called, using the new nickname he had made for all the angels. He had nearly attacked Simon earlier, claiming he wanted to see if he had scales, like a lot of the others. And with a slight start of surprise, he realized they didn't. They had feathers, which were very soft, and he had proceeded to _pet_ Simon, until Baki had gone over and pried the aspis away.

Hence the new name.

Bodil growled slightly, angling his wins so he swerved away from the aspis. "Just leave us alone already."

Leo grinned and twirled in a spiral, latching onto one of Jordan's paws. The demigod growled at him, but the warning flew right over his head. "Hello, dear, I'm back."

Jordan shook his paw, flinging Leo off his foot. With a strong pump of his wings, he picked up his speed and went to the front of the group.

"Seto," he said softly, "is there any chance that he will drop out of the sky if I sing?"

"Possibly," Seto hummed, hiding a grin. It was funny, how much the new member of their group made almost everyone dislike him the hour they had met him.

"He couldn't even sit still when he was sleeping," Jordan complained, twisting his long neck around to glare at Leo. "Kept poking my neck all night long, and he couldn't decide if he should sleep next to me or on my back."

"Young aspides are very energetic. When he reaches thirty, all he'll want to do is sleep. Don't worry, Jordan, you only have three hundred-or-so years left with him."

Jordan heaved a sigh and looked ahead again, glaring at a mountain as it passed by. "Still," he said, and that was the last of their conversation.

"Hey, Seto," Jerome called from bow. "Can we stop and find some food?"

As if prompted by the suggestion, Seto's stomach rumbled at him. He frowned slightly and glanced around at the group. "How are we gonna feed everybody?"

"Mitch and I could hunt. We did it before, when you had been captured. But... Well, we only had one fat dragon to feed."

And, simultaneously, he earned an "I'm not fat!" from both Ant and Jordan.

"I could find some food," Leo offered, smoothly flying over Ant and latching onto Jordan's foot, winding around it like a snake.

"Can you?" Mitch asked, lifting his head to look over at the aspis.

Leo nodded and smiled, looking as if he was toothless because his fangs were folded back. "Yep! I'll show you where food is."

"Alright, here's the plan. Jerome, Leo, and I will go get—"

"I want to come too," Ian interrupted, darting over to their conversation.

"Alright. Jerome, Leo, Ian, and I will go hunting. You guys can take a break and land right here. We'll be back soon."

Jordan dropped slowly, landing on the plateau beneath them. Leo wound up his neck and said goodbye, then flew back into the air with a fluttery of his brown wings. One by one, everyone dropped until it was only the hunting party that was still in the air.

"Alright," Mitch said, looking over at Leo, "lead the way."

[...]

They flew east for a good thirty miles, and Leo dropped down into the fields after half an hour of flying. "The farm is coming up," he said to them as the three dragons landed.

"Wait, farm?" Ian asked, hesitating.

"Yep!" Leo grinned, tail swishing across the long grass. He slithered forward, keeping low. "Come on, I will show you."

With a slight reluctance, the three dragons followed him. They went over a hill and suddenly it came into view:

It was a simple farmhouse, sitting next to a lake that shimmered in the sun. A large herd of cows milled around in the golden field, eating away. A few horses pranced around them; one of them had a rider, and the man instantly took notice of the hunting party.

The horses whinnied uneasily and bolted away, evidently smelling the predators.

Leo grinned and leaped forward, darting after them. The man shouted, taking hold of the reins of his jet-black horse. "Yah!"

-"I am so very sorry to break my promise," Leo said to the man, snatching him right off the horse. He shook him slightly, then dropped him into the ground and went after the cows.

Ian swallowed and padded over to the man, who was sitting up. He couldn't have been any older than twenty-three, adorned with cowboy boots and a hat. He stood at the sight of the black and blue dragon, shaking with fear.

Mitch walked up and called for Leo, but the aspis was too busy cutting down the herd of cows. They jus continued eating, except for a few of them. About five of the cattle mooed and ran, tails rigid with fear.

"This isn't right," Jerome muttered, glancing at the man as he scrambled away. "I don't think-"

"They're Spawns," Ian said suddenly, and padded over to the cows. He lifted one paw up and took a cow by the head, turning it to look at its eyes. "It's a spawned herd of cows... Don't go after those five." He pointed at the real ones with a wingtip. "And go explain to that man that we have an army of dragons to feed."

"Ian, are you okay?" Mitch asked, turning to go after the man. Ian nodded without looking at him, jumping into the air. He started getting the cows, not killing them but plucking them off the ground.

Mitch quicky bound over to the farmhouse. He stopped, just now realizing how massive he was. The house, which was an old log cabin that had at least three stories, only came up to his shoulders. And though his neck was fairly short (shorter than everybody else's, at least), he was at least two stories taller than the house.

The thought occurred to him about how the man's family would respond to this: Several giant dragons standing on their front lawn, snatching up their cattle and terrorizing their horses.

"Hey, anybody in there?" Mitch asked, which only earned a scream. He frowned and sat back on his haunches, wings folding back.

"Sir, you will need to speak the humans' language," Leo called, winding around a handful of cows. "You have been talking like a dragon."

Mitch paused then bent his head down again. He cleared his throat, peering into a window with one brown eye. "Hello- Ahem... **_Hello, anybody in there?"_**

There was a soft, high crying noise that grated on his sense of hearing. Mitch growled softly, but yelped and stumbled away when the crack of a rifle rang through the air.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" he cried, holding his hands over his nose. It shocked him more than it hurt, really, and apparently the scales around his nose were soft and vulnerable.

He turned a glare onto the house, and then he noticed the small winged person trembling on the roof of the house. He blinked, eyes widening, and bent down to look again.

Another crack of a rifle and he scrambled out of range, hissing. The angel—for it was definitely an angel—trembled in fear and reloaded. "You're gonna leave my children alone, you hear?" he shouted, wings flaring out slightly. "And then you're gonna set all those Spawns down, and give my family back their food for the winter."

Leo twisted around, ears pricking up. He hissed threateningly, holding the group of cows closer to his chest._** "Stay away, pest!"**_

The angel cocked the gun, aiming for the aspis. "I warned you once already, beast! Now, leave-"

As if tempting fate, Leo stuffed a cow, hooves and all, down his throat. He swallowed it like a snake would, dislocating his jaw to gulp it down. The gun cracked, but Leo just laughed and shot into the air, cows gripped tightly in his claws.

Ian paused and looked at the angel, herding the cattle with his tail. He stared at the angel, then glanced down at the prey they were going to being back._** "Hey!"**_

The angel aimed the gun at him, visibly trembling. His blue and black plaid jacket was tied around his waist, red shirt dirty from being on the farm. He stared at them with wide crimson eyes, sometimes brushing away the long black bangs that hung in front of his face. He had a pair of blue and white headphones hung around his neck, which were glowing dimly.

_**"If you get your humans to stop using Spawns, we will leave you alone,"**_ Ian roared. The angel's wins rustled from his breath, and the barrel of the gun sitting awkwardly in his hands shook.

Ian growled slightly._** "Tell your humans to stop using them, dude, and we'll leave!"**_

The angel flung himself into the air, brilliant white wings flashing in the sunlight. He darted over to Ian, scowling.

"Do you think they have a choice?!" he screamed, and suddenly it was plainly clear that he didn't _fear_ them, he was just angry. "This so far away from civilization; without me, every single one of them would be dead. Now drop the cows, please. That's the only supply of food they have for the winter."

Jerome was already leaping back into the air with half of the rest clutched in his talons. He cast a sympathetic glance at the angel before flying away. "Come on, Ian. We have a whole group to feed. I'm sure a man and his angel will be able to live off of five cows for the winter, plus whatever vegetables they have."

"Where are you going?" the angel cried, nearly dripping the rifle. He darted forward, whacking the furry dragon with the gun. "Give them back! Dammit, give them back! I have a baby and three toddlers to feed, along with a father, a mother, and two grandparents! Give me the cows back!"

If that didn't make them hesitate, then nothing would. Jerome growled half-heartedly, snapping at the angel. Mitch quickly ran over and grabbed most of the cows, leaving Ian to get the rest. They quickly left, trying to ignore the angered cries of the angel as they quickly outpaced him.

[...]

"The good party is here!" Leo called triumphantly, dropping down and setting the cows in front of everyone. They stumbled around almost blindly, eyes foggy and unfocused. "Let's eat!"

Ian set his cows down much more gently, and instantly left to curl up away from the group.

"Wait, Leo," Jordan said, pulling the aspis away from the cattle. "We need to cook them first."

"What? Why would you do that? That only gives you a stomach ache. Brother tried it once before, and he was groaning on and on about it for a few weeks."

"We... We roasted those deer we had, before," Jerome said, pinning a cow down with one paw. "I mean, I have no qualms with eating it raw. Just like Husky and fish, but if you guys-"

"Give them back!"

Suddenly, a white blue dropped onto Jerome's muzzle, the silver rifle being smacked against his forehead. The dragon yelped and jumped up to his feet, shaking his head and flinging the angel off his head.

He was tossed through the air, only to smack into Bodil's chest and drop to the ground. The green and black dragon looked down at him in surprise. Nitram bent his head down to sniff at the angel, only to jerk back when the gun was once again used as a melee weapon.

"Please just put the cows back," the angel called, standing up. He didn't back down, even though he had the attention of every single dragon. "We _need_ them to survive. If you even know what sympathy is, beasts, then you'll give them back."

"Oh Notch," Bodil said suddenly, plucking the angel up and holding him in the air. "Zexy? Is that you?"

* * *

**Boom.**

**Last chapter for the week, guys. I'll still try to write, but this is all. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for all the support, stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	19. Chapter 19

**(I suggest you go read the newest one-shot before this.)**

**Chapter 19 - A Hero He Was**

"D-do I know you?" the angel sputtered, still trying to get out of Bodil's grip. The black dragon blinked, pupils dilating slightly, and flipped the angel upside-down.

The rifle clattered to the ground automatically, and the angel stilled. He stared with crimson eyes, crow-like wings hanging limply. "Don't eat me," he said, "It isn't pleasant."

At this, there was a soft chortle from Leo. He rumbled a bit more, forked tongue flicking out and running over his lips.

**_"I'm not gonna eat you,"_** Bodil said, grinning. **_"But tell me, are you Zexy?"_**

The angel blinked, swallowed, then nodded. "Yeah... Do I know you?"

"Is it really Zexy?" Simon asked, padding forward and sticking his nose right up to Zexy. He blinked and frowned, having to twist his head to the side. He had a blind spot right in front of his nose, with his eyes being on the sides of his head.

**_"Dude, we haven't seen you in so long!"_** Baki said, grinning. He had a longer neck than the other two angels, and was able to crane it over Bodil's shoulder to see the angel.

Ghost quietly padded over, wings tucked tightly to his sides. He grinned at the sight of the angel, and opened his mouth to talk, but Leo interrupted him.

"So you know him?" Leo asked, lips twitching into a frown. He scratched the underside of his chin with his lion-like paw, coiling around Jordan's left arm. "So I can't eat him?"

"Of course you can't eat him," Jordan hissed, arching his neck to glare at the aspis.

"He taught me how to fly," Ghost said, gesturing with his nose towards Zexy. "How are we gonna explain to him, after fifty years, that we've been reduced into dragons?"

"Reduced?" Seto said incredulously, bristling slightly.

"What I'm concerned about," Bodil muttered, "is how we're going to explain to him that we're _all_ Fallen."

Ghost frowned and sat back on his haunches, drooping. "Well-"

"Hello!" Zexy shouted, fingers twitching in an attempt of waving. "Still hanging around here!"

**_"They are deciding who should eat you,"_** Leo shouted suddenly, grinning softly. **_"Personally, I think it should be me."_**

"Shut up!" Jordan snapped, reaching up and dropping a paw on top of Leo's head, effectively muffling any protests. The demigod turned his gaze onto Zexy, nose crinkling into a slight snarl. **_"They are not going to eat you, angel. The one holding you is Bodil, the orange one is Simon. There's Ghost, and then Baki. Everybody was transformed into these stupid dragons because of Seto, over there."_** He flung a wing in the sorcerer's general direction; Oteri grumbled and shifted closer to his side, muttering in annoyance about losing his blanket. **_"And I'm sure we'll return your cows,"_** Jordan continued, **_"because I don't feel like eating cows anyways. Now Bodil, drop him."_**

Bodil blinked once, twice, then abruptly dropped Zexy. The angel flipped in the air, unfurling his wings and hovering. He stared at the four angels, then slowly shook his head and backed away. Without another word, he twisted and darted higher into the air. "Keep the cows," he shouted, "We have more spawn eggs anyways."

And he was gone.

[...]

Bodil fiddled with the burnt cows' leg, thinking it against the ground and making it dance with the other one. The rest of the cow was sitting to the side, untouched.

Baki looked up from his second cow, running his tongue over his lips. He stared at Bodil for a second, pink eyes nearly glowing in the light of the fire that Sky had made. The sun was setting in between two mountains, and would disappear in an hour.

The rest of the group had settled down for the night, against Ant's protests. "I still think we could get another thirty miles in," he argued, still in the mindset that they were in a huge hurry, even though they weren't. "If we just leave now, we could go farther. And that means we would turn back to normal sooner."

He kept trying to persuade Seto, who was giving him another lesson of Rune, that they should leave. The sorcerer simply ignored it, though, and continued with teaching the larger dragon.

"Hey Bodil," Baki whispered, gaining the attention of the black and green-winged dragon. "Are you alright?"

Bodil nodded and hummed slightly, looking back at the two cow legs in his grasp. "I'm just... not hungry."

This earned concerned glanced from their small group. Nitram glanced down at his own cow—the third of his meal—and frowned. "Martin, are you sure you are okay? It is not like you to not be hungry-"

"I'm fine," Bodil snapped, feathers ruffling slightly. He snorted and stood, shaking himself. "I'm just gonna go flying for a bit, alright?"

"Can I come?" Ghost asked, sitting up. His own food, which was horribly twisted and mangled by a 'magic trick' he had been showing Simon, was quickly gulped down.

But Bodil just shook his head and jumped into the air, easily finding an updraft and riding it away. Ghost grumbled and looked back down at the cow. "So," he said to Simon, picking the animal's head up in his claws. "I can show you how to shift it into the shape of a pig's head."

[...]

Bodil flew until the mountains gave way to a valley. He sighed, looking down at the golden fields, and reached a paw up to rub an eye.

He didn't know what to think about Zexy. He hadn't seen the angel in at least fifty years, and as happy as he was to know that Zexy was alive, Bodil couldn't help but worry about how he would explain everything.

A little farmhouse caught his eye. Bodil slowed, dipping the ends of his wings to eventually stop. He twisted into a downdraft and rode it to the ground, landing quietly. The horses penned up by a fence whickered uneasily, stomping the ground with their hooves and throwing their heads back. Bodil ignored them and padded over to the house, staying low.

Suddenly, a hatch on the roof slid open. Bodil froze and hunkered even lower to the ground, but he knew he was already spotted.

But surprisingly, instead of any gun being pointed at him, a little girl hopped up onto the black-shingled roof. She stared at him, clutching a raggedy old sock monkey to her chest. She couldn't have been older than seven, and was a definite cutie. She blinked, then ran over to the edge of the house and slid down a fire pole to the ground.

Bodil watched her two long brown braids swing through the air as she ran towards him. The thump-thump of her cowgirl boots got louder and louder as she disappeared into the long grass. Suddenly, she was there, oversized hat and all, staring up at him.

Bodil lifted his neck and stared right back at her, tilting his head to the side. She blinked and copied his motion, brown eyes wide.

"You gonna eat us, Mr. Dragon?"

Bodil smiled slightly and gave a small shake of his head. **_"No, I'm not. None of us want to."_**

"Good... 'Cause John won't have it, ya hear?"

**_"Is he here?"_** Bodil asked, surprised.

She nodded and scuffed the ground with her boot. She didn't seem to fear him at all, even though his fingers were about as long as she was tall.

"He's in the house, eatin' supper. Made a big fuss earlier, with Grandpa. He says we should spawn in the rest of the cows, but Grandpa doesn't wanna."

**_"Oh? Why not?"_**

"Grandpa doesn't think spawning animals is humane-or-somethin'." She shrugged and promptly sat down, crossing her legs and playing with the sock monkey.

Bodil stared at her for a moment, then looked over at the house. After a few seconds, he bent his head down and whispered, **_"So what's your name, kid?"_**

She stared up at him, still making the monkey dance. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

**_"Well,"_** Bodil said, then paused. He smiled and shook his head. **_"Zexy really raised you right, didn't he?"_**

"Rachel!"

Bodil jerked up, wincing when a gun cracked. He felt the bullet fly by his left eye and he sat up in alarm, bristling.

"Get away from him, Rachel! Come on, come here." Zexy was quick to drop to the ground and scoop her up. He took her back to the house and whirled around, glaring at Bodil through the sight on the gun.

Bodil stared at him, orange eyes wide. He froze, against better sense, and locked his gaze on the gun.

For a long, long time, the two stared at each other. Finally, Zexy said, "Is it true?"

**_"Is... Is what true?"_** Bodil asked, averting his gaze away from the gun.

"You're a Fallen?"

This time when Zexy spoke, his voice broke. He cleared his throat and flew back a few feet, shifting the gun.

Bodil looked away, orange hair falling into his eyes. He nodded, just once.

"And Simon and Baki and Ghost, too?"

Bodil ducked his head in shame, shoulders hunching**_. "Yeah,"_** he muttered.

"What happened, Martin? It used to be fine, and then... And now you're a Fallen?"

"**_I made a mistake,"_** Bodil said, looking up.

"What kind of mistake? I mean, I've heard rumors, but..." Zexy's tone was slowly turning icy, and his grip tightened in the gun. Bodil swallowed and looked away, not meeting his crimson gaze.

**_"Rumors?"_**

Zexy nodded and scowled, flying up to Bodil's eye level. "The four of you are the first group of Fallen in the past century. You can't tell me that it's just a _'mistake'_."

Bodil looked away again, mute with shame. He had known Zexy for his entire life. The angel was a good twenty years older than him, and a very good friend of his. He had helped Ghost learn to fly, and had always been there. But then he had been made a guardian, and that was the end of seeing him.

So now, with the heavy disappointment in Zexy's tone, and the strange circumstances, Bodil had no excuses. There was no-one else to blame, and he couldn't just laugh his way out of the talk.

"Martin," Zexy said, and the gun was lowered. "When I heard you were a Fallen, it was possibly the worst news I've ever had. Then I heard about Ghost, and then Baki, and then Simon. I was worried. All of you were so cute and lovable when you were younger, and suddenly I hear you're a murderer and the others are traitors-"

**_"I'm not a murderer!"_** Bodil cried, standing up. **_"I'm not!"_**

"You killed a _god_, Martin," Zexy shouted, voice rising an octave. "If that isn't murder, then I don't know _what_ is."

Bodil stared at him, visibly trembling. He was silent; his ruffled feathers instantly laid flat with the angel's words.

"I even knew him, you know he was a good friend. He had a life, Martin. He had loved ones, and places to go and things to see and people to talk to. He taught me how to fly, you know? He was the creator of most of the angels. Martin, I would be surprised to find out he crated _you_. And then you go and _kill_ him. He won't ever come back. He is dead as dead can be, because of _you_."

Bodil winced with each word, hunkering down until he was curled into a little ball. He folded his wings over his head, burying his nose with a paw.

Zexy was, by all means, angry. Well, it was more of a disappointed anger than true rage. He was mad, of course; it wasn't every day that he met back up with an old friend. And that old friend happened to be a murderer. "You were going to be amazing, Martin. You were the best at your job, the fastest around, and you could have gone so _far_. But then you had to throw it away— And for what, Martin? What could have _possibly_ driven you to poison a god?"

For a long, long time, Bodil just stayed silent. He covered his head with his paws, blocking out any noise. He stared at the ground, trembling, and his orange eyes didn't seem so happy anymore.

And then he opened his mouth, and whispered, **_"I'm not a murderer."_**

His voice was very quiet, very soft, and it shook terribly. For a moment, Zexy paused. He cast a gaze over Bodil, gun lowering. This was not the Bodil he had last seen. It wasn't necessarily his appearance—that had nothing to do with his character—but it was more of the way he had so easily been broken by Zexy's words. The Bodil he knew would have stood and defended himself, even if he had no excuses.

Zexy sighed and looked back towards the farmhouse. A light on the second story flipped off; Rachel and her brother had gone to bed. He could hear a faint wailing from the little baby, and booming laughter from her father.

"... If you came for more food," Zexy said after a few minutes of silence, "then I'm going to have to run you off."

**_"No,"_** Bodil murmured, sniffing and running a paw across his eyes. He sat up, abruptly, and looked at him. The tears in his eyes were painstakingly clear, but he just blinked them away and brought up a wobbly smile. **_"I just needed to fly. Sorry to bother you. Go back home; we won't mess with you or your family anymore."_**

With that, he stood and spread his wings. Bodil turned, looking down and almost glancing over his shoulder. For a moment he paused. He thought, then said, **_"Zexy, let me ask you something."_**

Zexy stared at the back of his Horner head, and nodded slowly. "What?"

"**_Don't blame Baki or Simon for Falling. Baki... it wasn't really his fault, when his kid got captured. And Simon—it isn't his fault either. Ghost, they were just scared of him. I'm the only one who deserved to Fall. So next time you see them, treat them like you used to. Just remember that they aren't the ones to blame."_**

Zexy was silent as Bodil jumped into the air with a strong pump if his green wings. He watched as the dragon sailed away. He wasn't going towards the smoke rising from his group's camp, but just anywhere that he could fly.

For a while, the angel stayed there. Then he sighed, and shook his head, and dropped back to the ground. "I don't blame you, Martin," he murmured, and went back to his family, disappointment seeming to weigh his wings down. "I don't blame you."

[...]

"Seto, I think you have a bit of explaining to do to everyone."

Seto looked up at Jordan, torn away from his quiet conversation with Kerberos. "Huh?" he said intelligently, head tilting to the side.

Jordan stared at him then reached up and silently tapped the side of his head.

"Oh! Um... I'll explain later," he said, and smiled unconvincingly. Jordan just sat there, expression falling flat.

The demigod sighed and muttered, "Better late than never, Seto."

With that Jordan turned and half-crawled, half-walked twenty feet away, where his children were piled together in a snoring heap. Agnus was there, somewhere among the purple and black scales, and Seto was painfully aware of her absence.

She had been acting quite strange lately; always growling at anybody but Seto and Solari, and downright refusing to talk. And what really worried Seto was how she started to get picky with her food.

Agnus had been raised on fruit and fish for most of her life, in an attempt to make her swerve away from meat. Seto kept reminding her that it wasn't because he was afraid of her eating men, it was more of a reassurance to anybody who wasn't quite happy with her being in the Overworld.

Dragons were feared throughout Minecraftia. They were known for how destructive they could be; some records tell of how just one could wipe out an entire village with a puff of flame. Dragons were known man-eaters and, Seto couldn't deny it, most of them were. And though dragons were possibly the most intelligent creatures on the planet, they had a different set of morals than humans did.

Setting all morals aside, that was just life. Dragons were higher on the food chain, and humans were lower. It was a dog eat dog world, and if someone wanted to survive they had to work for it. Not everybody had to, of course; technology did most of the work. (And Seto was sure that technology would be the downfall of human kind.)

But Agnus was seriously starting to make Seto worry.

_"Seto, maybe Jordan is right. And if you didn't want to explain, then I am sure that I could."_

"And then what?" Seto murmured, staring at the group. "I think the thing that's stopping me is how some of them might just sit there, and call me crazy. No, Kerberos, not everybody needs to know. And that's final."

_"If they sit and stare and call you crazy, then I'll bash their heads in. That simple. You won't have to do anything, and-"_

"The answer's no, Kerberos," Seto said sternly, but he knew that she wouldn't back down. He knew how stubborn she could get, and how stubborn he was sometimes. The both of them combined wasn't a good thing, especially under the stress that the stupid spell made.

Both of them knew very well that neither would back down in a fight, and so it just continued.

_"And why should you have the final say? I was not even asked."_

"Because I'm the one in control, not you," Seto retorted, and turned his back on the group so they wouldn't realize he was talking to himself.

_"It's always about you, though, isn't it? Seto this, Seto that, you're only ever the center of attention. Why can't you let ME have the spotlight for once, show-hog?"_

It was in Kerberos' nature to be spiteful, so it was nothing new. Seto shouldn't have let that taken him by surprise; she had only been nicer for the past month or so. He should have expected her to be mean, like always. But ever since he had died and come back as a ghost, he couldn't help but notice how she had changed.

"It isn't like that," Seto shot back, snarling softly. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but she sent a sharp jab of pain to his left temple and hissed, _"Oh, but it is. You're the one complaining of how your precious 'friends' are being meanies to each other. Oh, woe is you, dearest wizard, to actually HAVE friends... Not like anybody loves you, yeah? You're only a bother, you only get in the way."_

Seto tensed visibly and once again tried to defend himself, but came up with nothing.

_"I cannot believe I have actually hung around with you for so long. What I TRULY can't believe, is how I stuck with that stupid demigod just to be near you. And what do I get when I finally get back to you? Not a "I was so worried" or anything. No, it was a "Oh, you're back." I shouldn't have been surprised, really, because you're so rude and you have no manners, and-"_

"Well, at least I'm not some silly voice in someone's head" Seto snapped, "You're only a curse, and that's all _you_ will ever be."

As soon as the words tumbled past his lips, he wished he could have taken it back. Kerberos fell quiet instantly, and any insults she had ready to dish out stuttered to an abrupt halt.

"Ker-"

_"No!"_ she shouted, and Seto winced at the headache that she gave him. _"I get it, I'm not wanted. Don't apologize, you... you wizard. You filthy, evil wizard. You're a disgrace, that's all. You don't deserve me; I could still be with someone else. I could leave, and let you suffer a slow death because your heart is still cursed from your father, and it always will be. Don't you think, Seto, that I would have left if I had wanted to? Every time you touch someone, or bump into a friend of yours, I have a bridge—a way to get away from you. I could have left... MILLIONS of times, but I didn't. And I don't know why, because you clearly take everything for granted."_

And she snapped into his body, flinging him away. Without any hesitation, she curled her tail around and bit down into it, fangs easily sinking into the flesh. Blinded to the pain, she reared out and threw Seto back in.

Kerberos had a special way of getting a desired effect, especially when it came to her host. Usually, causing them pain was not something she would do. But this time, just this once, Seto's yowl of pain was worth it.

The purple and silver dragon leaped to his feet, bending over and hugging his tail with one paw. "Notch! I'm going to kill you!"

"Seto?" Ian asked, one brown eye sliding open. He blinked away any fog and sat up, rubbing a seemingly flawless patch of dark blue scales just under his wing joint. "You alright, dude?"

Seto settled down, wings hunching, and nodded. He inspected the bite on his tail, nose crinkling at the metallic taste of his own blood. "Yeah," he spat angrily, "I'm just fine."

He padded away, injured tail lifted so it wouldn't drag against the ground. He huffed and sat back down, pulling it over with a paw. Wincing slightly, Seto turned his tail to look at it.

There were about twelve puncture wounds, six on each side. Blackish red blood dropped from each hole, and Seto sighed. He ran his tongue over the wounds, hissing to himself quietly. He was very aware of the eyes on him, but they were ignored.

Bodil landed softly and curled up almost instantly, tucking his nose under his paws. Nitram stood, but Ghost flung a wing over the devil's back, shoving him back to the ground.

Nitram growled, and raised his head. He snarled and bared his fangs, bristling. But Ghost bent his head down and murmured something, and Nitram paused. He shot a glance towards Bodil, then back to the older angel and asked something.

Seto shook his head and looked away, still cleaning the wound. After a moment, he realized what he was doing, and stopped. Tongue still against his scales, Seto frowned and lifted his head back. It hadn't been a conscious decision to just lick his wounds like that; it had been purely instinct.

He looked around and started noticing what he hadn't noticed. His friends were showing signs of the same thing:

Simon turned in a circle, lying back down in the small heap of dried grass he had scraped together. Strangely enough, the other angels had thought together nests almost identical to his. Where and when they had gotten the twigs and grass to even _make_ them, Seto could only guess.

Sky sat up, half asleep, and lifted a hind leg to scratch at the base of one of his ram-like horns. He yawned, forked tongue curling, and laid back down. He threw a wing over both Calamari and his familiar; the latter of which was curled on the squid's back.

Jordan growled at Leo, not even opening his eyes, and curled closer around the heap of black and purple scales. One of his children, the one with scarlet eyes, yawned and clambered over his siblings, settling down half on top of Jordan's back. The demigod twisted his head around and entry picked the Ender dragon up by the loose skin at the base of his neck, dragging him over until he was lying in between Jordan's paws. With that, and a grumbled complaint from Leo, Jordan fell back to sleep.

Jerome shifted in his spot next to Mitch, and sat up. He looked around, brown eyes reflecting the firelight. For a moment, he made eye contact with Seto. To the sorcerer's surprise, the furry dragon growled, lips pulling back over his fangs.

Seto shivered under that glowing gaze and huddled away, tail wrapping close to his body. "What?" he spat, feeling his own lips pull into a snarl. "What are you looking at?"

Jerome tilted his head to the side, pupils constricting to tiny little slits. He snorted and shook his head, wordlessly, and turned away.

Seto stared at him, just for a moment, then shook his head and stood. He padded over to Gordy and Poppy, who were curled near Sky and Calamari.

"Hey," he whispered, nudging Gordy with his nose. "You awake?"

The squid shifted, opening his navy blue eyes. He nodded and looked up, rubbing an eye. "I am now..."

Seto smiled and laid down, bringing the two close to his side with a wing. The beads strings around his neck and horns jingled softly, and he made a mental note to take them off as soon as time would allow. He set his head down on his paws and said, "How's your sister holding up?"

"She loves the land," Gordy said, yawning, "She keeps pointing everything out to me, even if we've seen it already."

Seto chuckled softly and shifted, lying on his side. "What about you?"

"I'm doing... I'm doing fine," Gordy said, nearly falling asleep in the middle of his sentence. "You?"

Seto paused, thinking of Kerberos. His tail stung and he winced, sighing. "I'm fine," he lied and closed his eyes. "Let's go to sleep..."

"Jordan?" Leo whispered, nudging the demigod's neck with his cold nose. "My Jordan, can you sing something?"

Jordan sighed and tried to ignore him, turning his head away.

"Please, my Jordan, I do not like this place. We are not in my territory and... I had a nightmare." The last part was whispered so softly that Jordan could hardly hear it.

The demigod paused and sighed, twisting his head around to look at Leo. The aspis stared at him, pupils dilating and eyes watering. His small ears drooped into his mane when Jordan's lips started to form the word "No," and Jordan paused. He shouldn't have given into the puppy eyes that he was being given, but...

Dare he say it, Leo looked like a kitten.

A long, poisonous, two-legged, draconic, winged, kitten.

But a kitten nonetheless.

Jordan heaved a sigh and thought for a moment, then said, "What do you want me to sing."

Leo brightened almost instantly and leaped over to curl around his neck like a scarf. He twisted and fell down between Jordan's chest and Oteri, shoving the larger Ender dragon away. "Mum used to sing a song, when I was an egg, about a cat and a dish and a spoon, and something of a cow. Do you know the song?"

"That old nursery rhyme?" Jordan asked, staring at him. Leo nodded and smiled toothlessly, ears pricking up. His fangs started sliding down from the roof of his mouth, milky white against the dark inside of his throat.

"... Fine. Get comfortable, I'm not gonna have you squirming around all night like last night."

Jordan laid his head down and let both leo and Oteri get comfortable. After a moment, he sighed and started singing sftly. "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle. The cow jumped over the moon..."

Leo started purring; he was loud enough to block out the sounds of the snores from everyone else. He shifted closer to Jordan, eyes closing.

"The little dog laughed to see such sport. And the dish ran away with the spoon."

Jordan sighed, shaking away a faint memory of his own mother singing the nursery rhyme to him, and settled down. Suddenly, Leo nudged him with a wing. "Another," the aspis hissed softly, eyes halfway closed.

The demigod didn't move, but he heaved a final sigh before starting another song. "I used to rule the world; chunks would load when I gave the word. Now ever night I go stow away, hide from the mobs I used to slay..."

Leo smiled and settled again, this time going into a deeper sleep.

"They once were terrified, every time I looked into their eyes. Villagers would cheer my way. For a hero I was, that's what they'd say."

And here he stopped, and fell asleep to the purring of the aspis, and the snoring of the Ender dragons curled on his side, and the quiet humming from the Netherian.

Snowy shifted on his nose, lava trailing from her spines. She shook herself slightly, still humming the song. "Goodnight, Papa."

* * *

**So Bodil blames himself, Seto and Kerberos got into an argument, and Leo might not be as bad as everybody thinks he is... Try not to get _too _attached for him. (Insert evil laughter here.) And don't worry guys, I'm gonna try to get Zexy back into the story. This isn't the last you've seen of him.**

**Tell me if anything seems strange. (Ie: Weird sentence stops, no quotation marks, no bolding/italicizing) I wrote this on my phone, and I'm editing on my phone, and I'm _posting _it on my phone. SO forgive me if anything seems off. The most common mistake that my thumbs make, is accidentally switching an 'Of' to an 'If'. So now you know that, if that ever happens again, I'm writing on my phone.**

**Hope you enjoyed, everyone, and I'm glad I'm back. Thanks for reading, everyone. I love the support, and I hope you love everything I'm doing. Leave a review, tell me what you think. And I'll tell you this now, guys, this story will be _long. _I plan for at _least _thirty chapters. If not thirty, then twenty-five. It won't be near as long as _Miles and Inches, _but it's going to be the longest main story I've written. So look forward to that. Thanks again, and as always, stay awesome people. cause you guys are already so awesome, words cannot describe.**

**-Cold**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters, and the plot. Every youtuber belongs to him/herself. I don't own any songs mentioned, yadda yadda. Thank you.**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 - Rage**

"Get movin', ya worm!" May shouted, digging her heels into the squid-dragon's sides. He hissed and reared his head back, snapping at her. He shifted uncomfortably on his two hind legs, spreading his wings.

Morc was a strange creature: he had only hind legs and wings, and was colored a solid, unbroken sky blue. He had fins on the back of his head, and at the end of his tail, but that was all. The dragon growled at May, baring his long fangs, which poked out of his lips on both the bottom and the top. _**"Look, lady, I'm not a horse. Don't treat me like one."**_

He was also surprisingly small, probably the size of a large horse. So it was ironic for him to say that.

May scoffed and shook her head, grip tightening on the chains that were strung around his neck, which served as a handhold. "Jus' go. The more time we waste, the less time we have to get the ol' man back."

_**"I do not see why we are even going to rescue him,"**_****Morc said bitterly, and bent his head down to get one last gulp of water from the pond they had stopped to rest at. _**"He is fairly useless."**_

"He knows his way 'round dragons, though," May muttered, "an' that's what we need. So jus' get."

Morc sighed again, not being a very _nice_squid, and spread his gigantic wings. Each of them was a good ten feet long, and dragged across the ground whenever he walked. He tensed his muscles and with one powerful leap of his hind legs, was aloft and flying north. _**"He has done nothing but poke me with a ruling stick, trying to measure my wing span. And why go after him, instead of that sun relic that we need to change back? Is that not what we are after?"**_

"Your king already has others like ya flying for it. They'll reach it just before the other dragons do, but we need Jerald for... You're right, ya know, but I don' think I can jus' leave 'im to fend for himself with all dose other dragons 'round."

Morc sighed and shook his head, pumping his wings and speeding up. _**"So how are you gonna get him out of their grasp?"**_

"Well," May said, and paused. After a moment she shrugged. "I'll wing it."

[...]

"Father? May I speak to you?" Agnus whispered, nudging Seto with her nose. He grumbled and rolled onto his side, one hand twitching. Gordy shifted, crawling closer to his stomach. This resulted in Poppy cuddling closer as well, and for a moment Agnus felt jealousy surge through her. It was just like when she was a little hatchling and Seto let her sleep in the house. But then... Then she had grown up.

Agnus shook the thoughts away and nudged Seto again. "Father, wake up."

Seto jerked awake with a snort, eyes opening slowly. "Hmm?" he murmured, rubbing his neck. "Agnus?"

"Can I talk to you?" she said, nudging him again. He blinked at her, still halfway asleep. "Yeah," he yawned, "Yeah, sure. What's...? What is it?"

Agnus gestured with her head, shoving him to his feet. "Let's go talk," she whispered, and Seto wordlessly followed her away from the camp.

"What is it, Agnus?" Seto asked, rubbing an eye as they sat down on the edge of a cliff. Agnus sighed and looked down.

"I... Father, tell me what you think of Solari."

Seto hummed, taken by surprise. He twisted his neck around to glance at the pile of Ender dragons next to Jordan, but could tell head or tail, much less who was who. He turned back to Agnus and yawned, then said, "I think that, even though it goes against my fatherly instinct, if you love him, he's a good choice... Why? Has he hurt you, or anything? Do I need to kill him?"

"No!" Agnus said, a little too quickly. And upon Seto's stare, she scuffed a claw across the stone and said, "No, he has been very good, but..."

"But?"

"Father, I..."

"You what?"

"You, uh... You _might_be a soon-to-be grandfather."

Seto said very, very still for a moment. He paled beneath his scales, and stood. He stayed there for a second, then turned tail and bolted towards the heap of Ender dragons. "Jordan!" he roared, rearing back and smacking the demigod with a wing. Jordan jumped up, making several of his children tumble off him. "Huh?"

Seto sat back on his hind legs and roared at him, wings spread wide. "Where is he?"

"Who?" Jordan stuttered, backing away from the enraged sorcerer. The dying light of the fire was quickly overcome with purple as magic slowly started appearing around Seto.

"Solari!"

"Wait, Father, it is not what you think-"

Seto saw a gleam of golden eyes and, without thinking, pounced. Solari was quickly pinned down, and Seto curled his claws just under his chin. Solari stilled upon instinct, freezing. He stared up at Seto with wide eyes, and his gaze darted towards Agnus.

Seto growled and shook him, battering the Ender dragon's side with his hind claws. The scent of blood seeped into the air and if anybody had somehow slept through all the roaring, they woke up. Seto bit down on Solari's wing joint, drawing blood. "I'll kill you," he muttered around the scales, and for one shuddering moment his eyes flashed silver.

To his surprise, though, it was not Kerberos. He didn't think on it for very long and bit Solari again, this time on the wing membrane. This earned a pained roar, and suddenly a tail was flung at him. It whacked Seto across the head, sending him away dizzy.

Jordan gripped Seto by the shoulders and dragged him away, tail curling, ready to hit him again. "Seto, you will stop. _Right_now."

Seto whirled and slashed his claws across Jordan's muzzle, then turned to pounce on Solari again. But the Ender dragon was up off the ground, and he growled. He tensed, as if to pounce, but suddenly Agnus was in the way.

"_All_of you will stop, right now," she spat, violet eyes glowing brightly. Small, purple sparks of fire trailed out of the corner of her mouth. She glared at Seto, hackles rising. "I thought you said he was okay, Father."

Seto glared right back, hissing. He showed his fangs, panting heavily, but then blinked and shook his head. He stared at her for a moment, then looked away. They stayed there for a moment until he jumped into the air, winging his way to the outskirts of the camp. Purple and silver trailed after him, and the magic descended to the ground, dispersing into small sparks.

"Well that was fun," Leo broke the silence, winding up Jordan's neck. "Let' do it again."

Jordan huffed and padded over to Agnus and Solari, only to have the female of the two released a deep, throaty growl. The demigod's ears fell flat and he turned away, flopping back to the ground and throwing a wing over his children, who were still trying to untangle themselves. Snowy crawled up onto his nose, leaving little paw prints made of lava and fire across his muzzle. She nosed at the three, small cuts that went across the top of his snout. "Are you okay, Papa?"

"I'm fine, Snowy," he murmured, and curled closer around his family. "But don't ever talk to Seto again, okay? Don't trust him."

And like that, Jordan's trust in Seto was gone, flying away into the air like an ember from the fire.

[...]

Seto stayed in the same position until everyone else had taken off. Nobody spoke to him; even Gordy and Poppy were riding on Sky's back. Calamari had moved over to Jordan again, being a bit too heavy for Sky to carry on a long flight.

The sorcerer hung at the back of the group, keeping his gaze locked to the ground. Ant didn't look at him, flying above and in front of him.

_"Look, wizard, now none of them trust you. Ha, serves you right! They never had trusted you, anyways, they're only using you. You don't matter to them; you're just a tool, that's it. A filthy, evil tool."_

Seto winced with each accusation, head drooping even lower. He heaved a sigh and looked up, huddling in on himself under the cold gaze of Breakfast. The Celestial had silently taken up the job of watching him, and it had been accepted by everybody. Breakfast was coiled around Ant's front paws, tail hanging in the air. He lifted a lip at Seto, lilac eyes narrowing.

Seto shuddered and looked away, dropping a few feet. "It wasn't me, I swear," he muttered. "I wasn't thinking, and it just... _happened._"

_"Damn right you weren't thinking. But then again, you never think. Not like you have a brain to think, anyways."_

The worst part was: Kerberos was back to that voice at the back of his head. She didn't sound female anymore, and for a moment Seto realized it was like she was back _then,_before he really got to know her. It was like she had no name, and was just an 'it' again, and not a 'she'. And it was her decision to do so, too.

Seto sighed and shook his head, trying his best to block her out. But his walls had eventually fallen in the time of her being Kerberos, and not the voice, and it was impossible. He had no defenses against her agonizing teasing, and suffered through it on through the day and into the night.

Nobody promoted that they rested, and they kept flying. Occasionally, one of the smaller dragons would drop down onto Jordan's or Ant's back for a rest. But then after a few moments they would go back up, and kept flying.

_"Monster."_

_"Idiot."_

_"Wizard."_

_"Stupid."_

_"You know, I think the list won't ever end, right? There's so many things wrong with you, wizard, that I cannot even COUNT how many. Ah well, not my fault you're such a mess."_

"Please stop," Seto whispered, turning the koi fish idol in his paws. He stared down at his reflection, bent and wobbly in the silver surface. "Just stop, Kerberos."

_"Never speak to me by my name again, wizard. If it weren't for you not touching anybody, I would be GONE. So don't get near any other person, right? Because if you do..."_

The threat stuck with him when they landed in the middle of the night, and he stayed away from everybody else. He didn't speak—what was there to say? That he was sorry for hurting Solari, and that he had just lost control?

No, they would only accuse him of being overprotective.

And now that he had thought about it, he knew he shouldn't have been angry at all. In fact, he wasn't. Maybe it was because now he finally saw that Solari wouldn't hurt Agnus. The dragon was a good one, and he would never lay a claw on her. Seto had let his rage blind him, and now he was paying the price for it.

Suddenly, a cow was dropped in front of his nose. He looked up at Ghost, blinking. The gold and black dragon stared back at him, strange blue splotch on his face glowing in the firelight. Sky had, again, made a fire. It was fairly easy to, with all the trees around. They had flown out of the mountains and into a forest. Jordan had assisted in breaking the trees o make a giant clearing, and any foliage had been burned.

"Go on, eat up," Ghost said, tail sweeping the dried grass. "I want to talk."

Seto looked down at the cow, and reached forward to grab it, but then:

_"Fatty. You eat too much. You're going to grow so big, someone will have to carry you. And then you'll just be more of a bother."_

Seto hesitated, trying to block out the delicious scent of the meal. Then he shook his head and pushed it away. "I'm not hungry," he lied, huddling away from the angel.

Ghost frowned and pulled the cow back, which had been caught just half an hour ago. "Oh, well..."

He sat down, setting a paw on the cow. Suddenly it jerked, staggering to its feet and walking away. Ghost didn't bother to watch it drop back to the ground, once again dead, and instead turned his attention to Seto. Now that the sorcerer looked, he saw that it wasn't the firelight that was making the blue scales on his face glow, it was his eyes. He tilted his head and asked, "What happened back there?"

"Agnus is pregnant," Seto muttered, and winced at how silly it was now that he said it aloud. "And something came over me. I didn't think, and now everybody thinks that I'm going to attack them."

Ghost hummed and looked over at Agnus and Solari, one eyeridge rising. "It's kind of silly, Seto, that you attacked him just because your... daughter is going to have a child."

"It could be more than one," Seto muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "Ender dragons can have up to seven eggs."

"Holy Notch," Ghost whistled and shifted. "That's a lot of brats to keep safe. I feel sorry for anybody who has to look after _all_of them."

"It's not nearly as good for Aetherian dragons," Seto said, priding in his knowledge. "They have no less than four, and can have up to fourteen."

Ghost shook his head, scraping his claws through the dirt. He settled down, rolling onto his side. "So can you tell how many she'll have?" referring to Agnus.

"Not yet," Seto muttered, with a hint of worry. "But it takes only a few weeks until she lays the eggs, and then they hatch about a week later."

"So she'll have them while we're on the road?"

"Hopefully we'll be humans by then. It will be much easier to deal with it like that." And Seto fell silent, with a small snickering from Kerberos as she whispered another insult.

"So tell me, Seto, why did you just attack him? You could have thought it through, or something," Ghost said, bright gaze trained on the rest of the group. "Or at least talked to them."

Seto just shrugged a wing, hiding his face from the angel. "I don't know what came over me."

It had been a bloodlust—absolutely terrifying and very, very real. It was not something made from Kerberos, but something his own mind created. What really scared him was the fact that he had so readily accepted it.

Seto was silent, and Ghost sighed. He nudged the sorcerer with a wing before standing up, tail dragging away a pile of leaves. He pushed them up next to Baki and Simon, then turned and padded towards a tree. He started shaking the leaves off, then paused and frowned, as if he was wondering why, exactly, he was making a nest.

Ghost glanced over towards the rest of the angels to find that they had already made their own nests of leaves and grass, and were curled up asleep. Nitram was hanging upside down from a large tree, tail winding around the thick branches and talons digging into the wood. Ghost hummed and continued, shrugging his wings.

Seto watched him with glittering brown eyes, huddling closer to the cold ground. He shifted a few feet away, until he stood and padded to the edge of the tree line. There he curled up and stuck his head under his wing.

He didn't sleep, though. Kerberos wouldn't let him. She kept on talking and talking, about how much he was a screw-up, or how he couldn't do anything but be a bother, or how he wasn't worth it. And Seto sat there with his paws over his head, teeth clenching together as he tried his best to ignore her. "Please stop, Kerberos. I'm sorry. I really am."

_"But then why did you say it to begin with? You could have just respected my choice of not having everyone know about me, and that would have been that. But then you had to go and back talk, and insult, me, so I think you deserve it. It isn't as if you should get any better treatment; and with all your 'friends' suddenly finding you a monster... Well, it suits me just fine."_

Seto stared at a small spot of dirt where the grass didn't grow, brown eyes dull. "But I'm sorry," he protested weakly.

_"It's too late to say sorry."_

And she fell silent, leaving Seto to lie awake the rest of the night until


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 – Creep**

**_"They went this way, across the mountains,"_** Morc hissed, forked tongue flicking over the ground. He lifted himself up, nearly toppling May, who was huddled against him with her hands stuffed in her pockets.

"Then let's go."

The dragon rustled his wings and took off, riding the winds and easily accelerating with his giant wings. He flew through a cloud and water droplets clung to his blue scales, making them shine under the sun. He swung his great horned head around and stared at May with unblinking dark eyes. **_"We will catch up in a few hours. What is your plan?"_**

"I told ya, Morc," May said, "I'm wingin' it. I'll sneak in and get 'im, then run out and we fly away. So be ready at all times."

Morc sighed and looked away, large feet folding tightly to his body. **_"That is not a very good plan."_**

"I don't need your criticism. Shut up."

The dragon snorted and she could see the gills on his neck flap in annoyance. He flew past a flock of birds, scaring them into a frenzy. **_"I think you really do need my criticism. So whenever you're captured by the giant, lightning-breathing demon, tell me so I can run."_**

"I still wonder how he does it," May murmured, scratching a hand through her frizzy hair. "Must be something with his lungs, like other dragons."

**_"A friend of mine can shoot jets of water from his mouth, there's a small thing right under his tongue, but lightning is much different than water,"_** Morc commented, flapping once to speed up. "**_What if he were to hit you with the lightning?"_**

"Then I'm dead meat. I'm more worried 'bout how they can squash me with their pinky fingers."

[...]

"Father?"

Seto opened his eyes; he hadn't been asleep, but had been pretending. With his wing still over his head, he was safely tucked away from everybody's glances. Well, he _assumed_ they were staring at him. It seemed like that.

So when Agnus nudged him he jumped slightly and any façade of him being asleep immediately flew out the window. He shifted his wing away and murmured, "Yes?"

Agnus sighed and silently lay down next to him, barely brushing his other wing. "I forgive you."

Seto was silent, but he lifted his head and looked down at her. For a moment, his gaze flicked over to her underbelly, studying the softer-colored plates.

The two sat there for a while until Seto cleared his throat and asked, in a very soft and almost timid voice, "How far along?"

Agnus sat up slightly, neck turning to look at him. "A month and a half."

"How have I not noticed?" Seto muttered aloud, then paused when Kerberos didn't even do so much as snort. It made his brain come to a stuttering halt and he sat there looking like a lost, confused old man without any sense of direction.

"You have been quite busy," Agnus supplied, "With the journey. And I have..." She paused and looked away, shame pooling in her bright violet eyes.

"You've what?"

"I've been avoiding you," she admitted, ducking her head. Seto frowned slightly and looked at her again, noticing the way she laid on her side and not her stomach, or the way her stomach was not as small as it used to be. "I did not want you to freak out, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Agnus." Seto shifted and put a wing over her back. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I was the one who attacked Solari. I wasn't thinking straight and..."

"It is okay," Agnus hummed softly, sighing in relief. "It's okay."

[...]

The morning sun barely filtered out of the fog, casting a murky glow over their camp. Seto woke up, soaked to the bone by water. He yawned and sat up, glancing around.

The camp was nearly drowned. The trees surrounding them were heavy with water, and the grass had been reduced to mud. Jordan picked himself out of the mud, making the ground squelch underneath him. He growled in disgust, lifting a paw out of the muddy grass and shaking it.

The angels were preening desperately, trying to dry their feathers, looking more like rags than dragons. Their feathers hung limp, sodden with rainwater. Nitram seemed perfectly fine, though, and watched them with an amused grin.

"This is strange," Husky murmured, but his voice sounded muffled. The air was completely still, and he was right. It was too strange. There hadn't been a cloud in the sky when they went to sleep, and now they could barely see five feet in front of their noses.

Seto opened his mouth and tasted the air, then shivered at the strong sense of magic. This water was not from a storm. At least, he didn't remember it raining, and the air was heavy with a smell of dark, evil magic."Guys, there's something-"

But they abruptly turned away; only Sky had the decency to look at him, and tilt his head to the side in a silent question.

"There's magic here," Seto murmured, and shivered again. He felt it, strong and pulsing from the earth. It made his legs weak and his mind foggy like the air. "It's beneath us."

And, even though everybody was pretending to ignore him, the moment he said that their heads moved up.

Seto felt very weak suddenly, light-headed and dizzy. He wobbled dangerously, all strength in his limbs suddenly fleeing. Seto groaned, and stumbled to the left. "It's dark magic, dark magic. It's going to get us, all of us. It is going to get us," he murmured feverishly, shuddering once more before collapsing.

[...]

Glittering steel eyes watched the group from a nearby cave. He shifted, long, long claws scraping against the stone. His own body hissed whenever he moved, but it also melted into a different pattern constantly. It bubbled like lava, and when he shifted his weight a great glob of the molten rock was left behind where he had just taken his paw off. Orange fire crackled down his back, like a mane, and it darkened into a bronzish-orange further down his tail.

The dragon moved again and little orange embers danced up from his body. Speckles of orange and yellow moved on the surface of his skin. He scooted away from the mouth of the cave when a drop of water fell down from the leaves of a tree above him. But the drop hit his nose and he held back a hiss of pain, reaching up and scrubbing his nose with a paw. His claws went up to scratch at the base of his horns, then at the bone spurs jutting from his cheeks.

"Strange," he hissed softly, "I have not had a visitor in..."

And here he paused, shook his head, and turned back around. His bright yellow, orange, and red-striped wings folded close to his back to avoid the roof of the cave. They were strange, connected to his body right on the spine instead of the shoulder blades. This gave him a more barrel-like look to his chest and shoulders, where most of his weight was. He had thickly muscled limbs, with big feet with wicked, scarlet talons.

He kept winding down and down into the earth, passing several hostile mobs. A creeper waddled by silently. The dragon cast a sidelong glance at it and hissed, tongue curling up to make the sound.

It stopped and turned to him, blinking. He hissed again, pausing in his way down the cave. It blinked and nodded, making a _tssking_ noise back at him. After that it turned, and left.

He smiled slightly, lips pulling back over his large fangs. He padded further into the ground until the cave opened up into a giant cavern.

A lava pool gurgled at him from the left, and then a large pile of treasure sat in the corner next to the pool. He padded over to it, licking up one gold coin and keeping it under his tongue. It melted like chocolate, and was just as good. He smiled and turned to the far side of the cavern, padding over to a cave branching off.

He ducked his head down and padded into it, pupils constricting from the light shining ahead. Once again, the cave opened up and a statue was revealed.

It was of a woman, dancing to her death and painted a beautiful opal with stripes of gold. She was adorned with marvelous blue gems the size of his eyes, draping across her body like silk.

He rumbled and turned around, facing the entrance. He didn't look at the statue, but sat stock still with his head held high, steel eyes trained on the entrance as he waited.

They would be here soon.

[...]

"Seto?" Gordy muttered, eyes widening when the sorcerer stumbled and fell.

Seto tried to get back up, pushing one wing against the ground and shoving himself to his feet. But this only toppled him to his other side, and he could hardly move his legs anymore. He lay, brown eyes staring into space as he struggled in air. He could feel the magic winding around him, suffocating him, killing him. Somewhere far, far away, he could hear Kerberos tell him something.

There were other voices, now that he was down and dying, and he turned his glazed stare onto Gordy and Poppy, who were sitting in front of his nose. Someone shook his shoulder and in his peripheral vision he saw Sky.

But then his vision wobbled, and any colors slowly starting sinking into a deep, deep black and purple and red. He stared at a tree, feeling his guts twist in silent pain. But he was mute, not able to move. That dark magic ate away at him quicker than he expected, but suddenly it was gone.

It shrank away as Kerberos suddenly surfaced, shoving the winding coils out of him and letting him breathe.

Seto jumped to his feet and staggered, but someone was suddenly there and holding him up. "Dark- Dark magic," he gasped out, and clawed at the ground for emphasis. "We need to get rid of the source."

"Are we supposed to dig, or something?" Ant asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Seto turned a narrowed glare to him, and growled. "Look," he said, and stepped away from Sky. He lifted his head and puffed out his chest, wings setting back. "I didn't attack your son, so you have no right to be angry at me. Frankly, only Jordan and his family have a right. And I'm very sorry about attacking Solari; I didn't ever intend to, and I wasn't thinking straight."

"What do you mean?" Ant growled, tail lashing. The blade at the end came dangerously close to Ian's head. "You can't accuse us of being angry at you, when we _do _have a right. You're the one who changed us all into dragons. And if it weren't for you, I'm sure we could have all been having a nice Saturday, as we used to be. But you and your stupid spells had to go and screw everything up."

Suddenly, Gordy clambered up onto Seto's back. "As if you have never done something stupid!" he shouted and clambered up Seto's neck, using the strings of the beads for handholds. "Am I not mistaken, Ant, that you've cheated in the Survival Games? You've killed someone in the waiting time just before death match, right? _And, _you've killed before. Has Seto ever killed anyone?"

There was a pause and Ant shifted uneasily, then snarled and said, "How do you know this, anyway, squid?"

"We are watching," Gordy said, staring him in the yes. "We are always watching. All you need to do is go and have lunch with a few squids. And they will surely blabber about the latest gossip and rumors, and if you can tell what from what, and if you're smart, then you can find out anything."

Everyone stared at him and Gordy shook his head. "My point is: Seto has done more than _you _could, and he has been so very kind as to teach you how to speak to your worm over there." Breakfast bristled at the insult, furry lips scrunching up. He hissed and shifted closer to Ant, lilac eyes narrowed.

Everybody was silent, until they heard a hissing. Mitch yelped and whirled around, leaping up to his feet. There was a creeper walking calmly into the clearing, green pebble-like scales glimmering in the mist. It stopped and looked up, then around, and hissed what seemed like a greeting.

Everybody stared at it for a long, long time, and it stared right back. Finally, it stomped one foot and turned around, waddling away.

Poppy cooed and padded after it, much to Gordy's horror. The little squid shouted and nearly jumped off Seto's head, but it was too late. The creeper turned its attention onto Poppy, and slowly walked over to her. It blinked and tilted is head to the side, then looked over its shoulder. She giggled and butted it with her head, laughing again as it turned. She ran after the mob, quickly disappearing into the fog.

"Poppy!" Gordy cried, slipping down Seto's neck. He fell of the larger dragon's back with an unpleasant bump, but got up and kept running.

The air seemed to get a few degrees warmer suddenly. Seto shuddered at the sudden draining of any dark magic and looked around, eyes seeking something that wasn't there.

And suddenly Bodil cried out, one paw flying to his chest. He gasped for air and leaned against Simon, who jumped at his sudden shout. "Bodil? What's-"

Bodil lifted his head and made eye contact with Seto, just for a moment, and then he collapsed into the same nearly-comatose state Seto had just gotten out of. H

"Martin? Martin, get up, no, no, no. Martin." Nitram jumped forward, shoving Ghost, Baki, and Simon out of the way. He tried to push Bodil up, only to have Seto suddenly intervene. The sorcerer set a paw on Bodil's back and, with a flash of purple, pulled the dark magic away.

"Guys! I found a way down- What happened?" Gordy skid to a halt, making Poppy run into the back of him.

Bodil quickly got to his feet, shaking himself, and assured the rest of them that he was fine. Nitram growled and quickly pushed Seto away, then abruptly turned and started fretting over his brother.

"You're _welcome,_" Seto hissed, trying not to let everyone's attitudes get to him. They were just angry and stressed; it would be like that with such a journey.

Gordy ran over to Calamari, tapping his paw against the larger dragon's leg. "Calamari, I found a way to go down."

Calamari looked down at him, blinked, then lifted his head and called, "Seto, Gordy found a way underground."

Seto nodded and quickly came over, ducking under Jerome's wing. The furry dragon looked at him and sighed, shaking his head.

"Good," Seto said, "Where is it?"

"This way," Gordy said, and jerked his head back. Seto turned and shouted, "Bodil, you're going to need to come with us. We need to get rid of any dark magic still lingering in you."

"Martin is not going!" Nitram growled, lifting a wing and pulling Bodil closer. "He is not going to go anywhere with _you, _anyways."

"Nitram," Bodil said softly, out of the corner of his mouth, "Seto just saved my life. You should be grateful. And besides, I don't want to go through that again. You can come with me, to keep everyone safe."

"But Martin-"

"Don't worry, Seto," Bodil said, padding out from under Nitram's wing. "But Nitram's coming with us."

Seto nodded and turned, following Gordy back into the mist. The squid met up with his sister, who quickly turned and followed her new creeper friend further into the mist.

"Wait for us!"

Seto paused and looked back. The other three angels were running towards them, sodden wings tucked tightly to their sides. Baki splashed through a puddle, ruining his light coat of feathers with splotches of dark brown.

"Guys, what are you-"

"Think we're just gonna let you guys leave? Nobody flies alone, right?" Ghost said with a grin, and hardly paused when he finally reached them. Poppy had found the cave entrance again and Gordy was calling all of them over.

"We'll have to go one by one," Gordy said when they got over. "I think you guys will fit; it's a pretty big cave."

And it was. It was about forty feet high, but dropped into the ground at a startlingly fast rate. They hesitated at the mouth of the cave, but then Seto shook his head and went forward. "Come on, guys. It's just a cave. And the dark magic is probably only from a witch or wizard-" It hurt him to say those words, really. "-So all we'll have to do is kill them and head back to the surface."

Bodil paused, glancing at Nitram before following Seto in. one by one, the others filed into the cave, heads hunched and wings furled tightly.

[...]

He had no qualms in waiting. He did not mind the silence, or the perpetual bubblingof the lava pool.

He sat and waited. He had nowhere to be, nothing to do, and nobody to meet. He was utterly alone and that was fine by him. He did not remember who he was, anyways. He... He knew nothing, other than the fact that he had to _guard the Oracle._

The Oracle was special to him, somehow. He didn't know how, or why, but he knew that he _needed to guard the Oracle._

The phrase kept running through his head, over and over. What was strange about it, was that it was said in a female tone. And he knew very well that he was male, and not female, so why must the voice continue to pester him with its tinkling words?

Never mind that, he could hear them coming.

He shifted, coiling his great long tail around his feet in what he assumed was an imposing and graceful way. He set his shoulders and wings back, hoping to look much more informed than he really was.

They were in his cave now. He heard the familiar hissing of the creeper he had sent out to get them, and a high giggling from a little girl. Then another voice, somehow similar to her's but more masculine, joined her in the laughing. It must have been her brother, and she his sister.

Sister. Why did that word bother him? It was an itching in his mind, as if his brain was trying to form a thought yet couldn't.

Never mind that, he could see them.

The purple and silver dragon made eye contact with him first. The dragon froze in his tracks and bristled, not blinking.

"Seto, what's wrong?"

That voice. Why did it sound so... _familiar_?

A black dragon, with wild orange hair and green wings padded towards 'Seto'. He paused and followed Seto's gaze, then froze.

The lava dragon blinked, tilting his head to the side. He blinked again, steel-colored eyes doing their best to hide the confusion.

"Seto," the dragon whispered, and took a step back, "Who is that?"

He cleared his throat and said, in an accented voice, "Have you come to consult the Oracle? I am afraid I may not allow that."

And this had the attention of the rest of their little group. By now, the black and green dragon was staring at him as if he had seen a ghost. For a long, long time the staring contest continued.

But then the black dragon with vibrant orange eyes whispered, in an astonished voice, "Preston?"

The lava dragon blinked and shifted, tail tip twitching slightly. He refrained from flicking it; that would not be polite. "Who is Preston?"

* * *

**Just to let you guys know, the last chapter was supposed o end like that. Sorry for any confusion. I just didn't feel like posting any sort of authors note.**

**So Preston's here, with the mentioned Oracle, and he doesn't remember anything. Now this, my friends, is going to be _fun. _Just think of what I can do with it. I mean, I already have it entirely planned out and stuff, but just imagine...**

**And, man, Nitram can be protective. **

**Hope you enjoyed, guys. I'll try to update _Miles and Inches _tomorrow. Maybe. Possibly. I have several things halfway written. The real job is figuring out what to do with them. Anyways. Leave a review, tell me what you think. You guys are the best, so stay that way.**

**-Cold**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 - Mistake**

"John, you shouldn't worry yourself so much."

Zexy shook his head and kept pacing, running his fingers over his pristine white feathers. He stayed silent as he paced; seven steps one way, pause, turn, seven steps the other way, pause, turn, repeat.

Grandpa and Rachel's parents, Michele and David, sat at the dinner table. Grandma had gone away to get the four little ones out of bed and her plate of food was left sitting on the table. It was empty, though, unlike Zexy's. His food went untouched and had already grown cold. It was most definitely a waste, of course, but he was not hungry.

Michele picked at her remaining food, and reached forward for another roll only to find them gone from the bowl. She sighed and sat back, once again trying to persuade Zexy into sitting. "John, please, your friends will be fine."

"You don't know that," Zexy muttered, rubbing his chin as he paced. He was half-tempted to fly after the dragons, but he knew it was a lost cause. He was not the fastest angel; even Ghost was faster than he was. But the thought of them, out there together with the evil of the world, was almost unbearable.

What was keeping him there, with his family, was their need for him and the disappointment weighing heavily in his heart.

The four Fallen could have gone so _far. _They had so many centuries to live and people to take care of and things to do, but they had thrown it all away. He shouldn't have been surprised, really. Ever since the first time he had seen Bodil, he knew the angel would be trouble. He wandered too much, took too many risks, and bent the rules to his liking. Ghost was powerful—born with his puppeteer power, and accelerating much too quickly. Simon was smart, but wondered too much. Baki was cunning, and thought things through more than the others. Together, they were all a recipe for disaster.

And Zexy had called it.

He had said to Slamacow, one day, that "These angels are gonna get themselves into deep trouble someday."

Maybe he should really consider the fact that usually, when he foreshadows something, it would come true. He'd have to make a note not to say that someone's behavior would eventually kill them.

"I can't just sit still, I'm sorry," Zexy muttered, and turned in his line to pace the other way. "Not only did they make away with our cows, they nearly crushed David and one of them could have easily snapped Rachel up."

This was not what was really on his mind, but he couldn't just go and blurt everything his fast-thinking brain thought. Grandma came hobbling down the stairs, chuckling at something one of the kids had said. "I'll tell ya—those little 'uns."

She paused, holding her hip, and looked around. "Why are ya'll so down? The sun's up and the birds are singing."

Zexy blinked and glanced at the rest of the family. David had stood, picking up the dirty plates. Grandpa had gone off into the living room to read, and Michele was helping her husband. So Zexy sighed and followed Grandma out. She went over to the screen door, pushing down the latch and opening it. It swung out with a long groan, shaking in the wind like a leaf.

Grandma turned to the left and sat down on a porch swing. Zexy sighed and sat next to her, looking out over the fields and mountains surrounding their little house. The two sat there in silence, until the old woman leaned back with a sigh. "I've known you my entire life, John. I know there's something wrong."

Zexy nodded, leaning his chin in his palm and his elbow against the arm of the swing. "It's some old friends of mine..."

"Your old friends are dragons? What kind of life is it, up in the Aether, if you have overgrown lizards as friends?"

Zexy cracked a small smile, crimson gaze flicking up to the clouds. "No; they used to be angels, like I am. But then-"

"Are these those people you had to bring one day, when I was young?"

"Yeah. I had to teach three of them the ins and outs of protecting someone. It was a week, Clair, not just a day. They spent the night and everything."

"Ah," Grandma hummed, tapping her fingers against her cane. "So these are those friends."

Zexy nodded, leaning back in the seat. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the chirping of the birds. It was pleasantly warm, and the trees were starting to turn into the colors of fall. He didn't move for a moment, but opened his eyes when a hand set on his knee.

"John, I want you to be happy. And you and I both know that letting your... friends just leave won't give you that happiness. So go on, get out of here. We'll be fine. Just get back in time for dinner."

[...]

"Wh-what... You're Preston, though."

He blinked, and tilted his head to the side in utter confusion. He didn't let it show, though. They could not see any weaknesses. "I am?"

"You..."

"Bodil, can I talk to you?" Seto said quickly, pushing Bodil and the others away. But the lava dragon cleared his throat and said, "You may stop right there, now."

Against his better judgment, Seto found himself hesitating. He turned around to look at the glowing dragon.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah! I do," Bodil quickly pushed past Seto and padded right up to the new dragon, ducking into the oracle's room. "You're Preston, the lava creeper. You're the master of pvp, and we used to do maps together and stuff."

He blinked and shook his head, but that faint tickling had come back to his mind, and the longer Bodil stood in front of him the more irritating it grew. "Oh?"

"Don't you remember everybody? What about Jerome, and Sky, and, um, Mitch?"

Bodil earned a blank stare. Seto cleared his throat and came into the side room. "Um... May I ask something?"

The dragon turned his steel gaze onto Seto, and nodded.

"Can we consult the Oracle?"

_"__Seto, it is not a good idea. I sense dark magic in that thing."_

Seto ignored her and she growled, sending a jab of pain through his temples. _"Listen to me, idiot."_

"Um..." The lava dragon glanced back at the statue, eyes roving over the graceful, frozen form. "I am not supposed to-"

"We can get your memories back," Bodil said suddenly, and grinned. "I'm sure it will allow that."

The dragon opened and closed his mouth, turning back to them with a look of confusion. _Guard the Oracle. _He had to _guard the Oracle. _But maybe, for once, that voice could be set aside. These people seemed to know him. Maybe they could help him remember. "Alright... But be careful."

He shifted and stood, walking to the side to let the others in.

_"__Why aren't you listening to me?" _Kerberos hissed, and tried to surface to drag him away. Seto scowled softly and mentally snarled, snapping up and winding thorns around her. Kerberos gasped and instantly stilled, and he felt her tremble.

_"__You are a monster. You will never change. Will you?"_

Seto ignored her and looked up at the statue. He tasted the air, forked tongue flicking out like a snake's. There was definite dark magic in the air; the moment he realized that, he choked and went into a coughing fit.

The lava dragon hissed behind him, bristling slightly. He was just about to step forward when all the gems on the Oracle lit up. Her eyes opened with the sound of rocks grinding against each other, casting bright light over the room. Any torches were abruptly put out with a gust of wind that emitted from the statue, casting the room into darkness.

"I am suddenly not so sure about this anymore," Simon whispered, and took a step back.

Seto stared, then quickly bowed. He reached over with a wing and brought Bodil down, too. "Don't offend her," he hissed quietly.

_"__Ooh, are you afraid of a big bad stature Seto? Wimp. Yeah, that's you. Just a monstrous, evil, wimp. A clever coward, as they say."_

Seto knew he should remain calm in the face of such a powerful dark magic creator, but he couldn't help but feel hatred spark in his heart. Kerberos was wrong. She had to be wrong.

**"****Who has awoken me?" **a voice boomed, deep and resounding. It held an air of refinement to it, though, as if the Oracle was superior to all.

Seto glanced at the others, then over to the lava dragon. He did not bow, but instead sat there still as a statue. The sorcerer turned back to the Oracle and said bravely, "I did. I have come with a request."

**"****Hmhmhm," **the Oracle chuckled, and her gems gleamed like freshly polished diamonds. **"Oh, really? Now what makes you think I'm going to grant it?"**

Seto was silent. He didn't look up at the statue, but cast a backwards glance at his small group. "Because..."

The Oracle hummed, and seemed to think. For a moment, all was silent, then it said, **"I will grant two wishes. One for you, and one for the green and black dragon there."**

Bodil lifted his head, but Seto whacked him with a wing and set his gaze back to the stone floor.

"Can we think about them?" Seto asked politely.

**"****Yes. You must give your wishes to me within the hour, though. Be careful with what you wish."**

[...]

"Well, I know what I'm going to wish," Bodil said, watching Seto pace.

"What is it?" Nitram asked in curiosity, scratching his chin with a long claw. He kept casting a distrustful glance over to the lava dragon. By now it was unsure if he was really Preston or not, but Bodil seemed to know him. He wasn't an angel—that was for sure. He didn't have the same wings, or the same wispy, cloud-like smell to him that the other angels had.

"I'm going to get his memories back," Bodil said, gesturing with his head towards the new dragon, who was sitting at the edge of a lava pool.

"Be careful how you word it," Seto murmured, turning to pace the other way. "Oracles are as bad as genies."

"Genies are real?" Simon asked, feathers rising slightly. Seto nodded and paused, looking into the dark room of the Oracle.

"So I can't just wish for Preston to remember who he is?"

Seto shook his head and said, "Chances are, she'll make him remember only his name and his life, but not any memories of anybody else. Ask for him to remember everything that's happened before he was turned into a dragon. That should do it, anyways."

Bodil nodded, claws clicking against the stone as he drummed his fingers. "Alright, I'll remember that... What about you? What are you gonna wish for?"

"I don't know," Seto admitted, and frowned. He stopped pacing and sat down, only to stand up again and start walking back and forth.

_"__Why don't you just wish yourself dead? You'd be doing the world a favor."_

Those words stung, and they hit him like a brick wall. Kerberos had stooped that low, before, but rarely. He quickly shook the suggestion away. It would never come to _that _again.

_"__Why not, wizard?" _the voice hissed.

And suddenly he realized that Kerberos was beginning to not be Kerberos. She was not a she anymore, but an it.

"No," he muttered, and shook his head again. He padded away from the group so he could whisper to her. "Kerberos, stop."

_"__I told you not to call me by my name."_

"I can call you anything I want."

_"__No you can't."_

"Sure I can, curse."

She growled at that. _"At least I am not a wicked, tainted, evil thing that needs to be eradicated."_

"But you are."

There was no backing down now, and Seto struggled to keep his voice low. Oh, how much he wanted to scream at her. Bu he couldn't, because if he did that would be showing anger. And showing anger in front of an Oracle was the worst thing he could possibly do.

_"__Am I, though? I was borne into this world an innocent, and I have yet to physically kill anybody. And, how many dragons have you slain? How about we march up and tell Agnus that you've killed probably her great grandmother, just out of spite."_

"Look-"

_"__And how about we tell Snowy you've murdered two of her own kind. Isn't it true, Seto, that there are hardly any more Netherians in the world? And what about the others? We could say you've killed an aspis before, because you have, and that you've slain so many more innocent lives."_

Seto hunched his shoulders and hissed, sitting down facing the wall. "You helped a lot of the times, Kerberos."

_"__Only because I did not want to die. And besides, having a dragon host is rather unpleasant."_

The insult was very subtle, yet he still caught it. "You're saying I'm unpleasant?"

_"__More than just unpleasant, wizard. You are downright atrocious. And, honestly, I do not want you anymore."_

**"****Your hour is almost up."**

Bodil jumped to his feet and glanced over at Seto when the Oracle started glowing again. "Seto, she's calling us back!"

Seto pried himself off the ground, trying his best to smooth his ruffled temper. He could still feel the hatred boiling in his heart, though, and paused when he met the entrance to the Oracle's cave. The lava dragon padded past him, leaving paw prints of lava and fire behind.

_"__I'd much rather have a brainless worm than you, wizard. Because the worm would be quiet, and would not insult me. And it would at least be smarter than you."_

Seto took a deep breath, and only then realized that he had not thought of a wish. He shook his head and ignored Kerberos as she started beating up on him again.

**"****What is your wish?" **the Oracle boomed, eyes flashing and gems gleaming.

Bodil bowed slightly, thinking it silly, but said, "I wish that Preston, the dragon over there-" He gestured with a wing for good measure. "-could have all his memories from before he was turned into a dragon."

**"****Done."**

And the lava dragon collapsed suddenly, eyes sliding shut. Bodil jerked up and stared at him. "Oh Notch, did I kill him?"

Nitram padded over to the lava dragon, sniffing him slightly. He reached forward and nudged him, only to have his paw sink a good two inches into his skin. The devil yelped and leaped away, thankful that he was immune to fire. "No, he is quite alive."

Bodil sighed and turned back to Seto, whispering, "Your turn. Good luck."

_"__You're going to wish for the wrong thing, and then you'll screw everything up. That's all you ever do, right? You mess everything up, everything."_

Seto padded forward and bowed, still trying to think of what to wish for. It would be impolite to refuse a wish, and that would make the Oracle angry. All he had to do was destroy—

**"****You will not be able to destroy me."**

Seto swallowed and took a step back, then stopped and held his ground.

_"__Haha, you got busted. Now what are you going to do?"_

"I was not going to destroy you, madam," Seto quickly lied, keeping all emotion from his voice. He could practically feel the tension that was heavy in the air, along with the dark magic. "Why would you ever think that?"

_"__Because she can read minds, dork. She knows you hate me. She knows you want to get rid of me... Go on ahead, wizard. Wish me gone. Go on, I won't stop you."_

Why was he so tempted? He knew he would miss her, if he wished it, so he kept his lips sealed. So he said, "Can I wish for everybody to be back in their original forms?"

**"****I do not mess with power that is beyond me," **was the answer.

Seto sighed and opened his mouth, when suddenly Gordy cried out. The sorcerer turned and frowned at Sky, who came sliding down into the cavern, nearly trampling Gordy. "Seto!' he shouted, eyes wide and panicked. "Seto, we need you up there! Like, right now!'

"What's happening?" Seto asked, bounding over to him. Gordy quickly got Poppy up onto his back, then jumped up to join her. Nitram nudged Preston again, but he didn't move.

Seto turned and said, "You guys stay here. I'll be back, just explain everything to Preston when he wakes up."

"Wait, Preston's here?" Sky asked, ducking his head down to peer under Seto and into the Oracle's cave. "What's been happening here?"

"Nothing, Sky, just tell me what's wrong."

"Oh yeah! Your daughter is, like, giving birth."

Seto felt his limbs lock up. She had said a month and a half. They had a good two weeks left. "This is a joke, right?"

"No it's not." Sky quickly shook his head and turned to the cave leading up.

Seto shoved past him without another word, nearly flying up the cave.

"Wait, Seto!" Sky called, and ran up after him. "There's something I need to tell-"

He ran into Seto when the sorcerer froze, stumbling back. "Seto, there's-"

Seto just shook his head staring at the scene in front of him with a strange, pale look.

The fog had dispersed, giving the clearing a glowing golden color from al the water. Everybody had deserted the clearing, too, except for Jordan and two Ender dragons. The former of which stood there uncertainly until he lifted his white gaze to cast Seto a confused look. "Seto..."

But there were no words to express the utter confusion of what Agnus was curled protectively around. She looked absolutely exhausted, and her breathing came in soft gasps. Lying curled up against her were three, tiny little hatchlings. Two the normal dark purple of Ender dragons, and one a stark white albino coloring.

[...]

_I do not see the point of giving them the hatchlings now. It will only cause trouble._

**My reasons do not need to be shared with you, sir. And besides, I think they are downright beautiful.**

_What about that one, the one with the white?_

**He is still perfect.**

_So tell me why you interfered. You hurt one of your own creations, just to get the hatchlings here now? It is the worst thing you could have done._

**I was getting impatient.**

_You messed the white one up too badly. You messed everything up, you know._

**I think he is perfectly fine.**

_That's because you're blind to your own ways. Not only did you nearly kill the mother, by making them hatchlings, the white one will probably die now. He does not look healthy at all._

**... Well-**

_I told you to be patient, yet you didn't._

**I-**

_And now they're going to have to bury the little white one, just because-_

**I do not intend for him to die. He will not; I will not allow it. It won't ever happen.**

_... Very well._

**I promise he won't die. He will survive.**

_I'll refrain from saying "I told you so."_

* * *

**Truth be told, I was the one who got impatient. Had too much of a brilliant idea to wait chapters upon chapters, so there you go.**

**Babbies.**

**Hope you enjoyed. Leave me a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading, guys. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 – Albino**

Jerome rubbed his snout where Agnus had scratched him. "I still don't see why we had to leave," he muttered, then hissed in slight pain.

"Dude, she cut your face all up, and then instantly tried to eat my tail," Ian said, licking at his own wounds that were scattered over his tail. "I'm not going back there, as long as those little brats are with her."

It had been the moment she had cried out that she had turned into a sudden demon, and the rest of the boys had evacuated as soon as Ian and Jerome had been hurt by her teeth and claws.

Albeit, they hadn't picked the right time to try and help her, but it still gave her no right to tear their scales off.

"It is very natural for a female to be so angry around the time of laying eggs," Leo said, and added. "When Mother gave birth to Brother, she nearly snapped my neck in half."

"Well," Jerome said, then stopped and paused. He blinked and looked over at Mitch, still rubbing the four scratches on his nose. They weren't deep, and the bleeding had stopped, but they stung like giant paper cuts. "Should we go hunting?"

"Oh!" Leo sat up, wings fluffing slightly. "May I come?"

"No," Mitch said sternly, but nodded. "Yeah. We can go and get some of those sheep that we passed earlier."

"I haven't tried sheep," Leo said, "So can I come to get the first bite? It is so very boring here."

"I said _no, _alright?" Mitch snapped, tail curling in agitation. He spread his wings and quickly jumped into the air, followed by Jerome. "Now stay here."

Leo sighed and settled back around the tree he was coiled through. "I still do not see why we left Jordan alone with the she-devil," he muttered crossly, trying to find anything and everything to complain of. "And besides, it is not his fault that his son went and-"

"So what are we gonna do with the old man?" Ty interrupted, and gestured towards Jerald, who was sitting up against another tree, still bound in ropes. "I mean, he's pretty useless to us. Should we just leave him here and hope someone finds him?"

"But we're in the middle of nowhere," Jason said, "Nobody's gonna just 'find him'."

"Well, we need to do _something_," Ty said and looked back to where Jerald was.

But the old man was gone, right out from under their noses. And quite literally, too.

[...]

Agnus stirred slightly, violet eyes cracking open just far enough for her to turn her head and sniff at her children. Then she sighed and settled back into sleep, tail holding them closer. Solari turned towards Seto and opened his mouth, as if to say something, but the sorcerer ignored him.

Seto crouched next to Agnus, pressing his nose against her cheek "Hey, baby girl," he whispered softly, "I need to check if your children are all okay, alright?"

Agnus let out a soft sigh and shifted, tail moving away slightly.

Seto reached forward and gently picked up the largest of the three. He got the notion that it as male, and definitely looked the part. He had stripes going down his back, dark black against his vibrant purple scales. He already had rows of blunt spines going down his back, and four little nubs on his head where horns would grow. His hind legs were black and he had black feet on his front, but the rest of him was a solid purple, even his wings. They were strong and already looked absolutely perfectly formed. He was healthy.

Seto set him down and quietly asked Agnus for a name. Without even moving, she murmured, "Donovan. His name's Donovan."

Donovan shifted and opened his eyes: a bright golden, just like his father's. He opened his mouth and growled softly, as if he was clearing his throat. After a moment of looking around, he scrambled away from Agnus and puffed out his chest. "I am hungry," he said, and looked around expectantly.

Seto jumped back in surprise, blinking. Hatchlings normally didn't talk until they were about three months old. So to have a newborn dragon suddenly speak like that took him aback. "Um... I'm sure we can get some food for you," and he glanced over at Jordan.

One of the other hatchlings shifted, blinking open her bright violet gaze. Her scales were a lighter shade than her brother's, and she had no markings other than the darker tips on her wings. She, too, had a ridge running down her back. But unlike her brother, she had no horn buds; instead there were two ears much like Agnus'. The ears pricked up upon the word 'food', but she stayed silent. She, too, seemed perfectly healthy.

Jordan quickly took off, wheeling around until he went in one direction.

Seto left Solari to deal with his son and went over to Agnus. The female hatchling cooed and looked up at him, eyes bright. She was almost the spitting image of Agnus, even down to the darker starburst around the slitted pupil of her eyes. She stayed next to her mother, but turned her head when Agnus said, "Elina, my darling."

Agnus lifted her head and nuzzled Elina, who cooed again and nudged back. The mother turned her gaze onto the albino, and they took on a strange disappointed look. "I am sorry," she muttered, and reached over. She picked Elina up and shifted her around to hold her against her neck, scooting away from the white dragon.

"Agnus, what are you-" Seto began, but she shook her head.

"He won't survive," she whispered and curled away from the smallest dragon. Solari padded over, Donovan gripped in his teeth like a lion cub. He set his son down next to Elina, walking around the albino with a sad look.

Seto frowned, and swallowed, sitting back on his haunches. "Agnus, come on. I raised you better than-"

"He will not survive," she said sternly, but her voice cracked and she turned away to talk to her two healthy children.

Seto stared at her, then turned to look at the albino.

His entire body was white, except for one black splash across his right shoulder and a splotch at the end of his tail. His limbs were long and lanky, almost like a deer's, and he was extremely skinny. His wings were very large, but looked fragile and paper-thin. If Seto hadn't known better, he would think that the hatchling was a dying Netherian without any smoky markings. Yet he had a dull ridge going down his spine, and at the end of his tail were fins like Solari's. Small horns were already starting to grow, and they were colored a milky grey, just a few shades lighter than his scales.

Seto padded over to him, gently picking the hatchling up with a paw and holding him close. "Agnus, you can't just..."

He knew perfectly well that this sort of thing happened to other dragon hatchlings. More than once, when he was in the slaying business, he had come across the dead bodies of albinos. They had been abandoned by their parents, left to die. Some looked as if they had been killed by their own parents, who probably didn't want them to suffer.

But when Seto looked down at the albino, he felt an urge rise in his throat. It was just like when Agnus was a baby, and everyone said he should have put her in the End because she wouldn't survive with him.

Well, look at her now.

Agnus lifted her head and said in a tired voice, "Seto, please leave us."

And then she set her head down around her two children, and slept. Solari stared at him, settling one wing over her protectively.

So Seto turned and jumped into the air, cradling the little hatchling close. He passed Jordan, who gave him a confused look. He waved the demigod on and shouted over the winds, "Give them those pigs, but save one."

Jordan nodded, if a bit confused, and dropped down to give the family of four two of the three pigs. He was aloft again when Agnus lifted her head and snapped at him.

Gordy clambered up onto Seto's head, ordering for Poppy to stay where she was. "Seto," he said quietly, leaning over one side of his head to peer at the baby. "He won't die, right?"

"No, he won't," Seto said, determined.

"Good," Gordy whispered and paused. After a moment he added, "Because everybody thought I would, just because I was a runt. So you need to take really good care of him, because I'll be really angry if you don't."

"Don't worry," Seto said, and looked down at the little hatchling. "I'll take care of him..."

His wings were weighted down with disappointment of Agnus. She had been raised right, but in the end it was really instinct that held the final say of what was to happen.

"So what are we going to do about the Oracle?" Gordy asked, changing the subject.

"We're going to fetch the angels and Nitram, and then get the heck out of here."

"Will Agnus be able to fly?"

Seto paused and gently landed on his hind legs, gaining the attention of the rest of the group. Jerome lifted his muzzle away from a sheep, licking white fluff out of his teeth. "Hey, you're back."

Seto ignored him, and instead opted to curl around the little hatchling. Jordan landed and tentatively offered the pig, then set it next to Seto when he didn't move to grab it. Suddenly the demigod remembered that not a day ago, Seto had attacked Solari. The realization took Jordan and made him shiver, because he had completely forgotten about his 'hatred' towards the sorcerer.

"Hey, look," Jordan started, and paused. Seto didn't lift his head from the hatchling, only hunching his wings higher. "I'm... I'm, uh-"

"Don't apologize," Seto murmured, casting him a backwards glance. "You had every right to be mad. Just know that I'm the one who's sorry."

And he said nothing more to the demigod, because the albino stirred. He opened his eyes for the first time, and smiled up at Seto. His eyes were a bright red, with a darker shaded pupil. They were unnatural—alien.

But Seto smiled and said, "Hello there, little hatchling. Welcome to the world."

The hatchling's grin widened and he shifted, hind legs sprawling out behind him and wings hanging limp. He pushed himself up off the ground with his front legs, and with Seto's help he was to his feet.

But almost as soon as he looked to have his balance, he leaned to one side and fell over. Seto sat back in surprise, eyebrows rising.

"Is that one of Agnus' babies?" Sky asked, padding over to Seto. He had flown back to the group once Seto was with Agnus.

Seto nodded and helped the little dragon back to his feet, reaching forward and steadying him when he tilted. But once again, he just fell back down. Gordy laughed on top of Seto's head, fins rising in amusement. "He's so funny!"

The hatchling looked up and tilted his head, then struggled to his feet. This time he took three steps, wobbling this way and that before falling back to the grass. He made a strange croaking noise, like he was displeased with himself, and struggled to get up again only to tumble back to the ground.

His tail went _thump, thump, thump _against the ground, and he turned. The hatchling cooed and set his paw over it, only to have it still hit against the ground. Gordy chuckled and said, "Thumper, what's wrong with your tail?"

The hatchling looked up, twisting his head nearly upside-down to smile at the little squid. His teeth were tiny and slightly dull, probably not able to tear into skin or bone. Yet someday, when he grew, they would easily be able to snap through a tree.

If he ever did grow up.

Gordy laughed and smiled back, sliding down the back of Seto's neck and toppling into Poppy. He jumped down from his back and padded over to the dragon, only to realize that the hatchling was only one third his size.

The albino cooed and dropped onto his back, one arm pawing at the air. His tail swayed back and forth and one leg kicked as he twisted back onto his side. He staggered t his feet and stumbled to the left, bumping against Seto.

"No, look," Gordy said, padding over to him. "You walk like this, Thumper. Like this." And he walked, just four steps forward. Thumper smiled and tried his best to copy his movements, but ultimately failed and toppled to the ground.

Seto swallowed and reached over, grabbing the pig. He cut little strips of meat from it, setting them in a pile. "Um, Thumper, how about some food?"

Thumper turned and stood up again, walking sideways and then the other way until he finally collapsed near his food. He reached over with a paw and dragged some over, lying on his side while he ate.

It hurt Seto's heart to think that Thumper had such a disadvantage. It also hurt knowing that Agnus and Solari would have abandoned him, if it weren't for Seto.

It would be difficult to raise Thumper and keep him safe during the journey. But Seto was determined.

Thumper turned and smiled, blood dripping from his muzzle. He tilted his head to the side, red eyes holding innocence and curiosity.

Seto rumbled slightly and shifted closer to him, then turned and said, "Sky, could you go get the angels? We're leaving as soon as possible."

Sky nodded, casting Thumper a confused look before bounding away.

Thumper licked at his claws and stood, wobbling his way over to Seto. He flopped down on one of the sorcerer's paws and grinned up at him, blinking those wide eyes.

Leo suddenly came over, small ears pricked up. "Hey, is that one of the new babies?" he asked, and settled a few feet away from Seto. "What is his name?"

Gordy popped up, fins fanning out slightly. "His name's Thumper!"

"Yeah," Seto murmured, moving Thumper closer. "His name's Thumper."

* * *

**Thumper has a neurological disorder, where he cannot hold his balance or walk straight without help. This has been my plan since... Chapter 77 of ****_Miles and Inches. _****Honestly, guys, you cannot believe how long I've been holding onto this idea. And not only does he have this disorder, he's an albino. And I'll go into more detail, don't worry. But I plan to make him as cute as Nitram, or even cuter.**

**And in the wild, the runt of the litter or whatever is usually left behind, just because it can't survive on its own. Don't beat up on Agnus and Solari too much about leaving poor Thumper because of it, yeah?**

**I hope you enjoyed this double update today. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for all the support, guys. It means a lot to me. We're almost to 200 reviews. Can you believe that?! Just... ****_Wow. _****So stay awesome like that.**

**-Cold**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 – Birds of a Feather**

They left when Sky returned with the smaller group. He had been surprised by Bodil, and had been forced to help role Preston up through the cave. "Apparently," he said afterwards, "If you touch him for too long you start to burn."

Seto sat back and frowned, puzzling over that. "But dragons are supposed to be fire-resistant," he protested, and glanced towards everyone else. "Right?"

Jordan just shrugged and lifted Snowy onto his nose, wings shifting slightly. Calamari, Ryan, and Corari were already settling on his back, getting ready for a long flight ahead of them. Ryan still looked nervous, every time he climbed on, and he made it quite clear he never wanted to fly on his own. "I can take him," the demigod suggested, and flexed his large talons. "I'm sure I could carry him."

"No, I'll do it," Ant said suddenly, tail flicking. Calamari cast him a frown, evidently taking a disliking to Preston. "No," the squid muttered softly, too soft for the larger dragon to hear, "You will do no such thing, not with me on you."

"I can carry him," Mitch said, standing up on his hind legs. But Jordan shook his head and reared up, plucking the lava dragon up and jumping into the sky with a strong leap, thus ending the argument.

Seto gently reached down and picked Thumper up by the loose skin at the base of his neck. He twisted his head around and set the hatchling next to Gordy, who slung a wing over the albino. "Make sure he doesn't fall," Seto ordered, and gently took off. He glided over to Agnus and Solari, only to find them already taking off. Agnus cast him a... distrustful (?) glance, and hurried away with Elina tucked carefully in her arms. Solari flew after her, Donovan standing proudly on his head.

Seto sighed and turned away, watching as everyone got into the air. He twisted his head around to check on Thumper, who was staring out over the landscape with wide red eyes. He looked up and beamed, one wing unfurling slightly.

Seto smiled and turned back around, flying higher so the hatchling would be able to see the glittering colors of his friends.

[...]

It was a few hours into their flight when Thumper started gnawing on one of Seto's scales.

Seto twisted his head around and opened his mouth, only to be met with a hungry stare. He paused, nearly smacking himself for forgetting that hatchlings ate almost constantly. And then they would sleep, and wake up, and crawl around, and eat, and then go back to sleep. That was what Agnus had done the first two weeks of her life.

"Guys, can we land?" Seto called, and earned a good amount of grumbles from it. The forest had turned into a thick jungle, with an unbroken canopy. Nobody wanted to deal with it.

"Do we have to?" Sky whined, but paused when his monster crawled up his neck and settled there, head lying in one of his curling horns.

"Yes," Seto answered, and went down. He landed on the too of a tree, and surprisingly it didn't sway. He pried apart a few branches and stuck his head in.

Underneath was a tranquil, beautiful landscape. Ferns and vines grew wildly, and little clusters of sweet-smelling, brightly-colored flowers grew all over the place. Seto twisted his neck around and picked Thumper up by the scruff, then turned and dropped down.

There was a thunderous crack when Jordan landed, breaking a tree in half. He scrambled away from it clumsily, getting a wing caught by another winding trunk. He cursed and yanked it away, growling at the poor tree. Soon the others landed, spreading around so they wouldn't be cramped.

As soon as Seto set Thumper down, he got a prickly feeling along his spine. He quickly scooped the hatchling back up and sat back in his haunches, glaring around with narrowed eyes. Someone, or something, was watching them.

The others felt it, too. Jordan growled softly and pulled Cherry closer with his tail when she landed next to him. "There's something wrong," he hissed softly.

Sky nodded and turned to Bodil, opening his mouth to say something. But the angel was surprisingly gone, clinging to a tree with his talons. His head was stuck into a hollowed-out hole, and he was trying his best to stay where he was. Once Bodil realized he was being watched, he pulled his head out and called down, "Guys, look at this! There's food in here."

"I smell it too," Ghost murmured, inhaling deeply. He took on an almost slap-happy grin, and jumped up to a tree. There was also a hole there, which he quickly put his paw in and dragged out a clump of purplish-pink fruit, wrapped in bands of baby blue and speckled with soft green. He sniffed it almost cautiously, then took a bite.

They could see the feathers on his spine rise and he shouted, "A morix!"

"Really?" Simon squeaked, and he too jumped up onto a tree. He crawled around it, tail wrapping around a branch as he found one of the hollows. "You gotta be kidding me," he muttered. But to his utter delight, there it was: The clump of colorful fruits, growing out of a winding vine that wound up the hollow inside of the tree. "I am never leaving this place," he said, pulling a fruit out. "Not if there are these here."

Seto frowned in worry when Baki went up to join them.

"I don't see the big deal," Ant said as he pulled a fruit out of a nearby tree. "What are morixes?"

"People used to grow them in the Aether," Ghost said, "But then they were called illegal, and nobody could grow them. Notch, I haven't had one in decades."

"What doesth illegal mean?" Poppy piped, nudging Gordy with a wing.

"It, uh, means that it's against the law."

"What'th the law?"

"A law is like the rules that Father used to set up. Like, um, curfew," Gordy supplied, and his sister frowned.

"I alwayth hated cufew," she said, and promptly slid down Seto's back and tail. "It was thilly."

"Do you think we should stop them?" Calamari asked, craning his neck up to watch them. "I mean, it had to have been made illegal for some reason..."

Seto frowned and shrugged, looking down at Thumper. The hatchling was sound asleep and Seto looked back up. "I think we should."

Nitram jumped into the air and flew over to Bodil, landing on a thick branch. He nudged his brothers' shoulder with his nose and said, "Martin, you cannot have any more."

Bodil turned to look at him, muzzle painted with the bright orange inside of the sickly sweet fruit. He tilted his head to the side, thinking. And after a moment, he just shook his head and said simply, "No."

"But-"

"Does anybody else feel the people watching us?" Jordan spoke up, and looked around. "This is not normal."

"Maybe it's just you," Ant said with a slight smirk, which earned him a bright glare. Suddenly, a brightly colored parrot landed on his nose. He went cross-eyed and stared at it, crinkling his nose up. The parrot squawked and spread its yellow and green wings, then jumped away when the dragon snorted.

Seto followed it up and up, and froze where he was.

Birds of all different colors were perched above them, staring them down with beast black eyes. There were all sorts of birds—falcons, blue jays, parrots, eagles, and even geese. The sight was enough to take Seto's breath away.

One eagle flew down, golden feathers glinting in the light. It landed in front of Seto, head titling to the side. After a moment, it screeched and flew back up. The birds scattered, then went into their normal business.

Jordan suddenly found himself an excellent perching spot for the birds, and Snowy had to bite at one swan to get it off his nose. Jordan shook his hide, showering birds over the others. To his utter delight, Ant was having the same problem. And because they couldn't move much, with the smaller space, they were both stuck with birds clinging to them.

The more worrying subject, however, was how Simon suddenly dropped from the tree. He swung around lazily, eyes half-lidded, and with a pump of his wings he landed on a branch, snapping at the few birds that didn't fly off. When he landed, the branch dipped dangerously, with the ends of it tapping against the ground.

Simon huddled down with the birds, wings folding and tail curling around the branches below. He turned his head and kept up a running conversation in Bulgarian with a pelican sitting next to him. His pupils were unnaturally wide—taking up most of his dark blue iris.

"Martin, Martin please do stop eating," Nitram said, and lifted himself into the air to pull Bodil away from the tree. The angel did pull away this time, but his grip slipped and he fell to the ground, laughing hysterically.

"Again, again!" Bodil cried, leaping to his feet. But he stumbled to the side and bumped into Sky, giddy with laughter.

Sky steadied him with a wing, only for Bodil to collapse to the ground. The angel laughed his high, characteristic laugh, and rolled over to his back. He stared up at the birds on the tree and cooed, "Pretty..." only to laugh again when Sky bent his head over to look at him.

Seto hugged Thumper closer, then picked him up with his teeth and set him on his back. The hatchling warbled, red eyes opening slightly before he sighed and snuggled closer, going back to sleep. "Guys, get the others to stop-"

"Catch me!" Baki cried suddenly, pouncing on Ant's back and laughing. His eyes were the same as Simon's and Bodil's, and he only giggled hysterically when Ant shrugged him off. He landed on his side, lying on one wing. And there he stayed, occasionally twitching and laughing while staring at a colorful yellow and pink flower in front of his nose.

Ghost chuckled and shifted on his perch, watching the others. He licked any drips of the sticky orange fruit off his lips, and laughed when Bodil tried to stand. The black and green dragon stumbled, falling nearly on top of Jerome.

Ghost dropped down onto the ground, but steadied his feet and padded forward. He only wobbled slightly, and only had a goofy grin. His pupils weren't as dilated, either. Upon Seto's silent question, he said, "I've learned to negate the effects." And that was all he said.

Seto shook his head and glanced over at a pink, plump flamingo sitting next to him. He reached over and bopped it on the head, and it fell with a squawk. He quickly started pulling it into chunks of meat, humming while he worked. Thumper stirred from his sleep at the scent of blood, and slid off of Seto's back. He dragged himself over to the bird and dug in before Seto was even done, crunching bone and tearing off strings of meat. He nodded and looked up at Seto, as if praising him for the food, then turned back to it.

Seto glanced over at the others, then his gaze focused on a brightly-colored vulture-looking thing landed on his nose. He growled and snapped his jaws, catching the bird in the wing and gulping it down without even chewing. His stomach instantly tried to hack it back up and he gagged, standing up and coughing. He spat the bird back up, slimy with saliva and dead muscles twitching. "Don't eat those," he warned, and hacked again.

But Thumper seemed to love the bird he was eating, and tapped one of his hands against Seto's tail, almost brushing the bite wounds that Kerberos gave him. The slight sting caught his attention, and also reminded him that he had yet to hear from her since the Oracle. He shook it off, though, and grabbed a large parrot out of the sky. He set it down, claws shining with blood as he cut it to little strips again. Thumper pounced on it as best he could, but collapsed next to it. He rolled onto his back and ate like that, facing the treetops.

Seto looked around, turning his head around to nose at the silver koi fish idol. Gordy had been holding it while they had flown, but he had tucked it under there when they landed. He couldn't risk losing it.

They stayed there for about ten minutes, when suddenly there was a scream.

All eyes were turned towards Preston, who shot to his feet. "I'm a dragon!" he screamed, long neck arching so he could look at himself. He lifted a paw and studied the burnt ground beneath him, then looked around. "And you guys are, too? H-how did this-?"

Sky gave Seto a pointed look, and swung a wing over to him. "He started it."

"And why am I here?" Preston half-shouted, wincing at a growl from Agnus. "I should- I have a _job _to do, man! Why did- where'd the Oracle-? How?"

"Dude!" bodil stumbled his way over, and slung a wing over Preston's back, only to recoil and hiss at th heat flowing off the dragon in hick waves. "Just c-calm down!"

"Calm down?" Preston said, and pushed him away with a glowing wing. "How am I supposed to calm down, when I have an Oracle to protect and guard? Where- where are we? I want to go home! Let me go home, now!"

"Would you quit your shouting," Solari growled, only to get a cold steely glare. Agnus sat up suddenly, tail wrapping around her two healthy hatchlings. "My children are trying to sleep, sir, and I do not want to come over there and rip your pretty glowing tail off, now do I?"

Preston backed down, surprisingly, and only growled. He turned a glare over to Seto and his growl stopped. "But what about you? How did this ever happen? I mean, I..."

"Don't worry!" Gordy piped suddenly, climbing up Seto's back and onto his head. "We're heading to the Northern Wall, and there we can be returned to normal!"

"Th-the Northern wall?" Preston stuttered, balking. "But don't you _know _what kind of magic is there?"

At this, Jordan rumbled. "I do," he said, scratching at the underside of his chin. "And so does my father. If we meet any trolls, I'm sure all of us can take them together."

But there was a warning glint in his white eyes, and Preston got the silent command:

_"Don't you dare tell them."_

Preston swallowed, then nodded and sat back on his haunches. "Will I be able to go home once we're normal?"

"Yes, of course," Seto said, and pulled Thumper into his arms once the hatchling was done eating. "I even have a spell ready, that can transport a few people each day."

"But... Why dragons, Seto?"

"Well, unless you want to be a fish, then by all means, let me get my spell book out to change it..."

This made the angels laugh, but he only got a glare from Preston.

Ant lifted his head and looked directly at Jordan. "So what kind of magic is on the other side of the Wall?"

There was a silence that followed the question, and the singsong calls of the birds dominated their sense of hearing. But then Jordan rumbled, "Just magic," and fell silent.

Ant heard Breakfast growl next to him, and the larger grey and brown dragon sighed. He kept staring at Jordan, though, with brown eyes glinting. He would save that conversation for later...

* * *

**Sorry for not uploading for a bit. I was preoccupied by the 100th chapter, and then I was trying to finish several one-shots at the same time... It didn't work out too well, and this story was shoved aside for a bit. But it hasn't been that long, right?**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed (the drugged angels). Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading, guys. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 - A Warning**

Zexy hated the silence.

It was too loud. The only noises were the wind, and the beating of his wings. The silence let his mind wander, and he yearned for laughter or someone to talk to. It was peaceful, he supposed, and a good break from any drama at home.

He flew as fast as he could, taking short and sparse breaks and eating on the fly. He had learned to swoop down, snatch up some fruit from a tree, and then go up and eat while he traveled. It was a pretty efficient system, even though he knew he would be dog-tired. Exhaustion was already starting to peck at his bones and muscles, but he ignored it.

Zexy knew that, on a normal day, Bodil could fly fast (understatement). So now that he was a fifteen-ton-dragon, it was a given that he could fly even faster. But then again, it depended on how fast the group traveled. Zexy guessed that they must have been flying at least his speed. So if he pushed himself, he could possibly catch up to them by-

**_"Watch it!"_**

A dragon was suddenly in front of him, large wings glinting in the sunlight. Zexy cried out and dove out of the way, turning around to fly in a circle. He watched the dragon as it hissed at him, blue eyes narrowed, and turned back around. There were two humans on its back, both swaddled in blankets against the biting wind. Zexy frowned at the three, wondering what exactly they were doing.

After a moment, the dragon and its riders were only a speck in the sky. Zexy shook his head and turned back around, flying straight north.

"I swear Martin," he muttered, wiping away water on his face as he flew out of a cloud, "The next time you complain to me that your wings hurt, I'll make _you _fly nonstop for a hundred miles."

And suddenly he saw a black dot in the sky. Zexy narrowed his eyes, putting a hand on his forehead to block the sun. He could vaguely see the figure of two massive wings rise, and he booked it for the spot.

But it soon became clear that this dragon was _not _Bodil, or Baki, or Simon, or anybody from their group.

The black dot eventually turned into a teal figure, and Zexy suddenly found himself wanting to backpedal. There was a horrible, twisting feeling in his gut. But it was too late. His mistake had already been made, and the dragon noticed him.

The teal dragon shifted, hnd feet dropping and the ends of its wings dipping as it slowed down. For a moment, Zexy was frozen in fear as the dragon's head turned, and one blazing white eye was trained on the angel.

But the moment passed and Zexy turned, flying away as fast as he could.

[...]

"Oh, Dad, it is a bird!" Aiden shouted suddenly, scrambling up onto Herobrine's skull. His spiny tail swished across the teal scales, lava dripping from beneath the Netherian's scales. "Can we go eat it?"

Herobrine slowed in his flight, and dropped his hind legs and the ends of his wings. He turned his head over, hovering in the air, and stared at the single figure of an angel. He felt hate boil up in his throat and smoke trailed form his nostrils.

The angel seemed to realize who he was, and instantly started flying away.

Aiden groaned and tugged on one of Herobrine's ears. "Chase it, Dad! We can have roasted bird for dinner."

Herobrine seemed to pause, thinking it over. On one hand, he would easily be able to catch up to it. On the other, though, he knew they were running behind (the two of them had accidentally slept in the morning before), and chasing after a silly angel would only slow them down...

But then again, their 'roadtrip' had been fairly uneventful, other than a run-in with a flock of geese (vicious, those things were), and he knew that Aiden was starting to tire of constantly flying.

So Herobrine sighed, smoke rising up from his throat and trailing through his fangs and into the air, and he took the four necessary wing beats to catch up to the angel. He was nobody that Herobrine knew, of course, but he knew very well that the angel had heard of him. Herobrine reached forward, snagging the angel's hoodie with one claw. The angel cried out and Herobrine flipped him through the air, snatching him by a foot and holding him up to one eye.

**_"So what might your name be?"_**

[...]

Leo was beginning to get on Jordan''s nerves.

The aspis never stopped talking, for one, and half the time it was the request "Sing for me, dear". And when Jordan said, "No," the aspis would pout and wind himself around the demigod's neck like a boa constrictor. It was unsettling, to say the least, even if Jordan knew that Leo wouldn't harm him.

"You do have a very lovely voice," Leo said wistfully, for about the ninetieth time. "Ah, if only you would sing."

"If I sing, will you fall down to the ground and die?" Jordan muttered, and shifted Corari. The water dragon let out a soft keening noise, burying his nose in the crook of one of Jordan's arms. The group had left once the newly-arrived hatchlings had gotten their fill. The angels hadn't wanted to leave, of course, and that resulted in Jordan and Ant physically throwing them into the air to get them to fly. But things were running smoothly now, and Jordan predicted that at this pace they would reach the wall in half the original time they had estimated.

"Oh, but you would catch me!" Leo exclaimed, and smiled. His two fangs dropped slightly as he opened his mouth again to say, "I trust you, my dear, and I know you wouldn't want me dead."

"Don't be so sure," Jordan hissed under his breath, earning a snigger from Sky and Calamari, who were obviously listening in on their conversation.

"But why not?" Leo asked, tapping his fingers against one of the hard scales on Jordan's shoulder. He was wound around the demigod's neck like a scarf; a very furry, warm, annoying scarf. "Why should I _not _be so sure? You do not seem like someone who would just _let _me die, you know. Oh, and Jordan, there is a storm coming."

This lifted several heads and everybody glanced around.

Jordan craned his neck to look behind him, frowning at the clear sky. "There isn't a single cloud, Leo," he said, and shook his head.

"But I can taste it," Leo said, forked tongue flicking at the air. "It is just like the fire storms Mum used to tell me and Brother about. She said, 'When you can taste smoke and rain in the air, you must be very cautious.'"

"Your 'mum' isn't here though," Jordan hissed, pumping his wings once. "And besides, every other thing you say is false. There isn't a storm, Leo."

Leo frowned slightly, and shifted. After a moment he uncoiled himself and dipped into the air, feathery wings spreading out and letting him glide. "But I can smell it," he whispered, head ducking when Jordan shot him a slight glare.

[...]

"There's a firestorm coming, My Lord," a squid murmured, fins rising in uneasiness. "This one's going to be a doozy."

"Yes," Derpsolu muttered, looking out at the horizon. If he really tried, he could see the cluster of black dots that he was sneakily following. "We must seek shelter, before it strikes. We don't want the same thing to happen to us that happened to my father."

His tail flicked in silent command, and two squid-dragons lifted into the air to find shelter. "A cave would do," Derpsolu called at their retreating backs. "We don't want to get caught in a forest fire. I can't imagine how horrible that would be."

The squid nodded, wings rustling. "What happened to the old king, any ways?" Then he hastily added, "Y-your Highness."

"He was in his human form," Derpsolu started, staring up at the sky. "He and a few of our land-dwelling allies were traveling through these forests-" He jutted his chin at the rolling green hills, which turned into a sudden black further away. "And they all sensed a storm coming. He was foolish, and decided to keep moving. The storm caught up to them from the south, and burned them while they drowned. It did not sound pleasant. That is why I cut off our ties with the nymphs. I am sure that they led him to his grave..."

"So you have never been through a firestorm, your Majesty?"

"No, I have not. And I plan to sit this one out. Firestorms are not something to shrug off."

"You got that right," the smaller dragon murmured, staring up at the sky that was slowly turning crimson in the south. "You got that right..."

* * *

**Sorry if the last two chapters were fillers, very sorry. But next chapter will have some action in it, I promise. But what can this 'firestorm' be? You'll find out soon enough.**

**Hope you enjoyed, sorry if this was short. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for being so awesome, guys. I love you all.**

**-Cold**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 – The Good and the Evil**

There was a growing uneasiness within the group. With Leo's premonition, and the weariness of traveling, there was bound to be paranoia.

The angels flew silently, the effects of the fruit having been shaken off with the wind. Ghost led the v-formation, apparently the most superior of the group. Occasionally, he would growl and swap places with Bodil, flying to the younger angel's right. But they did not speak; their silence was taken with chills down everybody's spines.

Leo, too, had gone silent. The absence of his high, accented voice was noted, but ignored.

Even Thumper had stopped making any noise. He had been so curious just an hour ago, pointing at everything below them and nudging one of Seto's horns, asking for an answer as to what it was. Now he was curled up at the base of Seto's neck, one hind leg almost dangling off. Occasionally, he made soft snoring noises, so he was asleep.

"I'm telling you," Leo said suddenly, breaking the silence. "We need to find shelter."

"I agree with him," Bodil put in, leading the v-formation. "There's something wrong with the air... And just look at these trees. An hour ago, they were full of life. Now they're dead, and..."

And burned, he wanted to say. But he didn't, because there was no explanation for the blackened, ashy-look to the dried branches. There was also no explanation for the suddenly very dry, hot air. It was choking, making them thirst for water even when they weren't thirsty. This was not natural, whatever it was.

"You know," Ant called from the back of the group, "I have to agree with them. There's something wrong about this place. It's way too quiet."

Jordan sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Fine. Let's land in that field over there, to the left."

[...]

"I-I-I'm Zexy," he stuttered, shivering under the cold gaze. "I-I'm looking for my friends... They're, uh, l-like you?"

His voice ended in a squeak and he swallowed, mentally cursing himself for having shown fear. He knew fear only fueled evil.

Herobrine rumbled in laughter and he hissed, **_"You must have passed them, then. I am at least half a day ahead than they are."_**

It was entirely possible. If the group had landed, Zexy could have very well passed right over them without even noticing them. He had, after all, been looking for dragons in the sky, and not on the ground. If they had gone below the tree cover, he would have missed them.

"B-but..." Zexy trailed off for a moment, fear pushed aside for a moment in favor of confusion. Then he remembered who was holding him upside-down, and he swallowed. "S-so, can you let me go? I-I'm just trying to get to them."

One side of the great dragon's lips curled up into a smirk. **_"Ah, but we are going to the same place... Once we reach the Northern Wall, they will be close behind. And besides, Aiden needs someone to talk to other than me."_**

"A-Aiden?"

The little dragon popped up suddenly, and slid down the bridge of Herobrine's nose. **_"That's me! I'm Aiden! Yes, yes, I'm Aiden. And what is your name, bird?"_**

"I-I'm not a bird!"

**_"You certainly _**smell **_like one," _**Aiden retorted, one wing unfurling slightly for balance when Herobrine tilted his head. He still had that evil, half-smile on his face, showing his sharp fangs. Zexy gulped, eyes widening at the large fangs. They were at _least _as long as he was tall, serrated and dangerous.

"I-I-I-"

**_"Great!" _**Aiden exclaimed, and bounced around in a circle. **_"Well, let's get gowning again. Can I hold him, Dad?"_**

**_"No; he is three times your size. But I am sure he can fly alongside us..." _**There was a silent threat in the demon's words, and Zexy understood it.

_"If you fly away, just remember you're only a snack to us."_

So Zexy hastily nodded, not one for being eaten. He wasn't into that kind of stuff. "Yeah, I can f-fly along!"

Now, Zexy was not an angel to be easily intimidated. And the relation between Aiden and Herobrine confused him (the smaller of the two was obviously a natural-born dragon), but Zexy had a feeling that if he made on wrong move, he _would _be eaten. And out flying the larger dragon was not even an option, seeing that Zexy took fifteen wing beats for Herobrine's every one.

**_"Good," _**Aiden said with a large grin, smoke hissing out of the corners of his mouth. **_"You know, there was this one time when I caught a blaze. It tried to burn me, but I don't burn, so I dragged it under the lava and drowned it, because there needs to be oxygen for fire, and there wasn't any oxygen under the lava-"_**

Zexy had a feeling this would be a _long _trip.

[...]

Morc flung himself into the cave, barrel-like chest heaving for clean air. He coughed and hacked, soot covering his shiny blue hide and turning it into a smoggy grey. **_"I told you that there was a storm coming," _**he barked out between coughs.

May and Jerald slid off his back, coughing themselves. Jerald leaned against the wall of the cave, wiping soot off his face. His lungs rattled as he coughed, and he said, "Never... Never seen a storm like it."

"Ya got that right, ol' man," May responded, hunching over. She paused suddenly, looking further into the cave. The orange and red glow from outside illuminated the cave, but not by much.

Suddenly, two bright crimson eyes opened. The owner of them tilted his head to the side, narrowing his glare.

May slowly backed up, chills running down her spine. "Jerald, there's someth-"

**_"Oh, it is just more humans," _**a voice said quietly, and the eyes moved down, as if the person had set their head on the floor. There was a rustling of scales, and it was obvious that it was a dragon, and not a human. The dragon let out a long, drawn-out, hissing sigh, and he stood.

A dragon padded out of the shadows, white and grey scales cast into a bright orange from the glow of the inferno outside.

He must have been a magnificent beast, if he had taken care of himself. He was long and lanky—unnaturally so, with a stretched body almost like a Celestial's. His tail had to be as long as his neck and main body were, with a shining grey blade at the end of it. His neck back, and halfway down his tail was covered in a grey blanket of scales, and the rest of him was white except for his left front leg, which was the same color as his back. The top of his wings were grey, and the underside white. His scales were crusted with ash and soot, and there was a horrible burned mark on his left side, but it looked mostly healed and didn't hinder his graceful, cat-like movements. He had a pair of long ears sitting just beneath ridged, dark horns, and there was a ridge running down his back.

But the most startling aspect of his appearance had to be the way his bones jutted out of his skin, giving him a sharp look. He was extremely skinny, and his scales were dulled with hunger. **_"I suppose I needed a... Oh, and you also have a dragon."_**

His voice was extremely quiet and soft-spoken, and the three of them had to strain to even hear it. He sighed slightly, large fangs gleaming in the firelight. "Just him will do, I guess."

Without any warning, he leaped forward. Morc cried out, large wings flaring, as the dragon wound around him like a snake. The white dragon's large fangs flashed, just before they sunk into the soft spot beneath Morc's chin. The blue dragon screeched and thrashed, but the white one's grip only tightened.

And Morc dropped to the ground suddenly. The white one lapped at the dark blood happily, crimson eyes never leaving the two humans. He paused for a moment to lift his muzzle away and said, **_"Don't look so revolted. You're next, anyways."_**

[...]

The fire came upon them suddenly.

One moment, they had been lying around in a field of dead grass and dry dirt; the next flames had towered over their heads like skyscrapers.

There was no order in the evacuation. Jordan and ant managed to get Bashur, Ryan, Calamari, Corari, and Husky in their claws, then they were up in the air.

But even the air wasn't safe. Rain poured down on them, blinding their eyes and filling their mouths and noses. They look up, and there's smoke and rain. They look down, and there's fire.

It was utter hell.

Seto held Thumper, Gordy, and Poppy close to his chest. He flew without direction, blind from the smoke and rain. He heard a roar from someone, and a clap of thunder. He squinted through the haze, and just managed to make out a sliver of blue through the smoke and rain and fire. He pumped his wings, aiming for it.

But suddenly there was lightning. Seto roared and jerked backwards, wings flaring out. He tried to flap, but suddenly there was no air beneath him that kept him up. He roared and tumbled, desperately trying to get back up. He felt a breeze of rain and wind, and snapped over to it.

His only hope was to fly, and try to escape. He couldn't worry about everybody else, not at the moment.

But he couldn't help but feel horror rise in his throat when he heard that bone-chilling screech as Baki fell into the fire.

[...]

"Baki!" Ghost screamed, noticing the blue dragon as he fell. The gold and black angel twisted, reaching a paw out to try and grab Baki's tail. But the feathers slipped through his claws, and he heard the sickening _smack _as he landed, and then the horrible scream of pain.

"Baki!" Bodil roared, orange eyes widening. He took a deep breath of the smoke-filled air, pumped his wings twice, then tucked them in and dove. Flames licked up to greet him, singing his feathers and skin, and he dimly wondered how this fire was hurting him when Preston didn't.

Bodil saw a flash of green and orange and suddenly Simon was next to him, helping him haul Baki back into the air. Ghost darted under, holding the injured angel up with his back. "The storm's parting to the left," Ghost shouted, moving his head. "We can get out there."

[...]

Ant couldn't breathe. The smoke was too thick to breathe in. He couldn't see. He couldn't feel anything but _pain pain pain pain _as he landed heavily on the ground, lungs wheezing. He heard Husky and Bashur cry out as he dropped to the burning ground, but he couldn't pay much attention to them.

_Where was Breakfast? Was he safe? Was he hurt? Was he okay? Was he dead?_

Ant roared weakly, and staggered to his feet, one side searing in pain as he moved. He collapsed back to the ground, head falling limp as he struggled for air. And suddenly Husky, who had been scrambling up his side in a desperate attempt to escape the flames, cried out as someone plucked him up and into the air. He twisted, then smiled in relief at Sky, who as blundering his way through the storm. Suddenly the clouds opened up into fresh air. Husky was dropped into a lake, into the dark, ashy water.

Sky wheeled around and flew back, then stopped when he saw Ian get Bashur. Sky turned and fell into the water himself, choking on the smoke. "A-Ant..."

"There's no getting him into the air," Ian said breathlessly, dropping Bashur and collapsing. "I tried. I couldn't- I couldn't-"

Suddenly, Calamari, Ryan, and Corari were dropped as well when a large shadow passed over. Leo was soon to join, unwinding himself from around Jordan's neck and splashing into the shallows. Jordan stayed in the air, however. After a moment he shook himself, and darted back into the storm.

[...]

Ant hadn't imagined dying like this. He had always thought he'd go out in a glorious battle, sword drawn and head held high. He hadn't thought he would burn to death, slowly, as everyone else escaped. He had thought he'd be able to say goodbye, but that wasn't happening either.

And suddenly there was a large _thump _and Ant saw a black shape approach him. There was silence for a moment, only the crackling and sizzling of flames and the rolling of thunder.

And then Jordan said, "I could let you die. I could walk away, and say I couldn't carry you."

There was pain. So, so much pain. It crawled beneath Ant's scales like acid, making him want to cry from it. Why wasn't he dead yet?

"And I could say, "Oh, I'm so sorry that Ant's dead"... And I wouldn't even give a dime."

Please. Please save him. Please get him out of the fire. By now, Ant would do anything.

"And I would be so, so... _ecstatic, _if that were to happen." Jordan gave a wry, barking laugh and his tail curled around, sweeping across the fire like a black snake. "But you're so _pitiful _and so _weak... _Ah, I guess they'd be angry at me. Just remember this, Ant, next time you think you're better than me."

Jordan reached forward and grabbed him by the jaw, turning his head to stare him dead in the eye. "_I am superior," _he hissed, voice echoing and dipping and splitting. For a moment, pure terror shivered through Ant's bones. Then Jordan huffed and bent down, hefting Ant onto his back. Jordan's shoulders were bony, and jutting into Ant's chest as the demigod stood.

But the fire was gone. The pain was still there, but the fire was gone. Ant distantly saw the ground retreat as Jordan sprung into the air. He numbly heard Jordan's dark chuckle as they broke free of the storm.

And then darkness.

* * *

**Remember those times I've made ant seem like the antagonist? Evil, corrupted, and a downright jerk? Yeah, well, everyone has their moments. **

**Hope you enjoyed, guys. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Thanks for all the reviews, and favorites, and follows, and views. You're all so wonderful. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 – To the Soldier**

The white dragon said nothing else. He curled near the entrance of the cave after his 'meal', shoving Morc's corpse out. He never stopped staring at the two humans, as if he was contemplating on having them for desert or not. He did not take his eyes off them; he hardly ever blinked.

May sat next to Jerald, returning the stare. Jerald kept his head down, though, scribbling away in a note pad May had brought in her bag. He would occasionally look up at the dragon, then look back down and erase something.

The dragon sighed through his nose, coiling closer in on himself. His head twisted around for a moment, and then he said, **_"The storm is letting up. You may go now."_**

This took both the humans by surprise because, surely, the vampiric dragon wasn't letting them go. He had said he would eat them, too. But... maybe he had filled up on poor Morc? Maybe he didn't like the taste of human?

May didn't want to push their luck. So she stood, grabbing the notebook from Jerald and stuffing it back in her bag. "Come on, ol' man, let's get."

Jerald staggered to his feet, wiping a hand across his cheek and smearing soot over it. He watched as the dragon moved away, coiling to the side in piles of white and grey scales. **_"A group of dragons is just south of here. They looked like this fellow," _**the dragon hissed softly, tail twitching in the direction of Morc. **_"So I guess they are your group? If they pass me up, and you are not with them, then I will tell them where you are. Now, get out."_**

With one smooth motion, he twisted and pushed both humans out into the smoky air. **_"And never come back."_**

[...]

Seto landed heavily on the rock, claws scraping at it. He tilted on his hind feet, then fell over on his side. Thumper wiggled his way out of Seto's grasp, wobbling over to his head. The hatchling made a soft crooning noise, nudging Seto's head with his nose.

Gordy scrambled to his feet, first checking if Poppy was okay. She was, thank Notch, if shaken and terrified. The little squid looked up, quickly running over to Seto. "Sorcerer, you need to wake up. Please, get up."

Seto's throat burned and he coughed, rasping.

Suddenly, there was a short scream. Gordy lifted his head and growled at the two humans who were making their way down, fins rising. **_"Stay away. Get back or I'll eat you."_**

May and Jerald stood there, then slowly walked to the left. Gordy watched them as they left, blue eyes narrowed dangerously. Finally, when they disappeared behind some burnt trees, he turned back to Seto.

"Come on, Seto, get up. We need to go back to the group, and-"

"More visitors?"

Gordy whirled around, feeling s chill race through him when his eyes met two crimson ones. He hissed, bringing Poppy close with a wing, and placing one paw over Thumper. "S-stay back."

The white dragon eyed him critically, slinky tail coiling around his feet. his wings hunched slightly and he said, "But you are the ones trespassing."

"We didn't mean to," Gordy defended, and backed up until he bumped into Seto. "We were caught in a storm, and separated from our group. Please, just let us go. We'll leave as soon as my friend wakes up."

The dragon tilted his head to the side, forked tongue licking the flecks of blood off his lips. He thought for a moment, then said, "You can come inside, if you want. Sometimes, the fire spreads. But it doesn't go past these rocks. The brush around you will surely catch on fire."

"C-can... can you help us get him up?" Gordy asked tentatively, holding Poppy closer to his side. "Please?"

[...]

Jordan twisted in the air, rudely dropping Ant into the water. He dropped down on the bank, patting out a small fire that was trying to blossom. "Who's missing?"

The angels dropped into the water as a group, gently lowering Baki down. Jordan cast a glance over them, then looked around frowning. "Seto isn't here. Neither is Ty-"

Ty hobbled over out of the smoke, sinking into the shallow water with a pained groan. One of his wings was hurt badly, the webbing burned and tattered. But then again, everybody but Jordan and Preston (who was sitting on the shore, staring into the smoke) were injured. Either from the smoke, which stung their throat, or from the fire. The worst had to be either Ant or Baki, both thankfully unconscious.

"I-I told you we should find shelter," Leo murmured, dragging himself out of the cooling water to curl around one of Jordan's paws.

"Papa!" Snowy cried, flinging herself off of Oteri's back. She barely missed the water, hitting the ground running. The Netherian collapsed onto one of Jordan's paws, coiling there and refusing to move. "The funny dragon is not here."

'The funny dragon' being Breakfast.

Jordan looked around, white eyes narrowed against the smoke. "I don't know, Snowy. Maybe he got lost."

And suddenly Breakfast dropped from the sky, colorful fur ashen and grey with soot and smoke. He waded over to Ant, back and tail rising out of the water in great arches. He warbled something in Rune, nudging Ant's head with his nose. For a moment he held very still, one ear lifting, and then he coiled next to Ant's uninjured side. And there he stayed.

[...]

The white dragon was very strange, indeed.

He looked scrawny, unable to hold anything but himself up. But he easily reared back on his hind feet, scooping Seto up with his front paws and waddling over to the cave. There, he gently set the unconscious sorcerer down. "So what are your names?" he asked, slinking over to coil at the wall opposite. He watched as Gordy helped Thumper up the slope, slick with rain.

"I'm Gordy, and this is my sister Poppy," Gordy said, one wing going over Poppy's back. "He's Thumper, and then that's Seto over there."

The white dragon's eye-ridges rose at the sorcerer's name, and he cast a wide glance over to him. "That's _Seto_?"

"What, you know him?"

"... Yes. Yes, I do," the white dragon nodded, once, and turned to look at them. His eyes were bright, gleaming like a cat's in the shadows of the cave. "He helped me, a few months ago. I was.. injured, and he healed me."

"Ah," Gordy said, but it didn't really come to him as a surprise. Anybody Seto knew seemed to have been affected by his spell. "So... What's your name?"

The dragon had been staring at Seto, crimson eyes narrowed slightly. But upon the question, he looked back at Gordy. And he smiled, large canines flashing. They had to be at least seven inches long. "My name is Ethan."

Suddenly, there was a loud growling outside. Ethan stood, snarling, and watched as two shapes dropped down from the sky.

They were both identical, sans the colors and size. Each had a lion's head and front paws, with draconic wings and goat-like hind feet. The larger one, which was half Seto's size, had rich purple fur. The other was a burnt orange, with yellow stripes. The larger one growled, head bowing to show off the winding, stark white, unicorn-like horn. Its tail whipped back and forth, and Gordy managed to find that it was a _snake, _and not a tail.

For a moment, the two beasts stayed where they were, and then slowly the smaller one came forward. Its snarl faded slightly, and it padded over to Ethan.

The vampiric dragon raised himself off the ground, and much to Gordy's surprise, his neck fanned out like a cobra's. It had several dark spots and stripes of crimson and black, and surely made quite a sight.

The beast cowered, and bowed. "Sir, there is a group of beings, out in one of the fields. They are like _that, _over there." It jerked its horn towards Seto, who was starting to stir.

"Leave them be," Ethan said, tone no longer the soft and quiet one he had used previously. "They are friends."

"Yes sir," the beast murmured, bowing once more before turning and running back to its friend.

Without another word, the two took off and flew away. Gordy ordered Poppy and Thumper to stay where they were, and went over to the edge of the cave. "What... Wha were those things?"

"Chimera," Ethan answered, hood folding back to his neck, once gain invisible. "They worship me as a god, almost."

"How did that happen?"

"I took down their leader, when I was still human," he answered, and turned around and blinked. "Seto is waking up."

Gordy turned, making a mental note to ask Ethan about that later. He hurried over to Seto, helping Thumper along. "Seto! Are you okay?"

"What?" Set asked, sitting up and rubbing a paw over his snout. "Yeah, I'm fine. Wh-where are we...?"

He looked around, and finally his eyes landed on Ethan. For a moment, there was an uncomfortable staring contest. Ethan shifted, coiling into a loose bundle of loops. "Um... Long time no see, Seto?"

[...]

The two chimeras circled above the group, golden-orange eyes narrowed against the lingering haze of smoke. "I say we burn them," the larger one said, giving a strong pump of his leathery wings.

"You heard what Master said," the smaller one hissed, "They are friends."

"We almost had them, though..."

"The black one would have surely gone after us. He is resistant to our fire." As if to prove a point, the smaller one waved a hand. A small, black cloud formed, and a lightning bolt staggered out of it, never reaching the ground.

The larger one growled, and thunder rolled through the air. "Yes, but..."

"And our pack is already dwindling as it is," the smaller one reasoned, flapping to gain altitude. "We do not need another war."

"But..."

"Dragons will completely eliminate us. You know what _humans _did to us, and we are still hurting over it. Just imagine how ruined we would be. There would be nobody left. No females, or kittens, or anything. We would all die. It is for the best."

The large one heaved a sigh, twisting in the air. "Come; let us take word of our orders to the pack."

Silently, the smaller one followed him.

[...]

"Thanks for the hospitality," Seto said, standing. "But I need to go find my friends. They might be injured, and I-"

"Can I come with you?"

Seto paused, looking at Ethan and picking up Thumper. "I...Do you want to?"

"Yes. Well, maybe..." Ethan looked down for a moment, brow furrowing as he thought. "I have some... things to do. People to talk to, you know?"

Seto nodded, kneeling down so Gordy and Poppy could climb onto his back. His head pounded in protest, and a muscle in his left wing stung. He felt a horrible migraine coming on, though, and all he really wanted to do was collapse into a bed and curl up and sleep for two weeks. "I don't know where they are, so you'll have to help me find them."

Ethan nodded, shuffling towards the edge of the cave. He narrowed his eyes against the brightness of daytime, and halfway unfurled his wings. "Well, let's get going."

Seto padded out of the cave, taking a deep breath, only to start coughing. He quickly swallowed it, feeling his throat burn. He glanced around, catching a glint of silver in the air. He hurried over to it, picking the koi fish idol up out of the dirt. He rubbed a smudge of ash off it, then handed it back to Gordy. Seto shook himself, then spread his wings and took off into the air.

The ground was scorched black, dying fires making the ashes seem even less alive. There were no signs of any life. It was as if someone had taken a paintbrush and splashed the entire world into black and grey, blotting out any colors that were once there.

Thumper dragged himself onto Seto's head, staring down at the terrain. He cooed for a moment, and Seto got his question.

"This is what fire doe, Thumper," Seto said, and glanced under his wing to make sure Ethan was following.

The white dragon was, if in a different way than Seto anticipated. He was... _running, _almost. He would hit the ground, and push off it with his wings and feet, then go sailing forty feet before he did it again. Each time he hit the ground, he made a _whumth, whumth, whumth _noise. It was a strange way of travelling, but it worked. Soon enough, Ethan was outpacing Seto.

The sorcerer shook his head and looked out at the horizon, making sure to remember any questions he had for later.

They traveled for about twenty minutes, when suddenly Seto spotted a lake shimmering in the blackness of the ground. He stared, slowly making out the glimmering colors of his friends. Now that he sat back and actually _looked _at them, he realized that none of them were a definite species of dragon. (Not that he knew of, anyway.) Together, they looked like a blob of color, and nothing else. It was only when he and Ethan got closer did he finally make out who was who.

Seto landed heavily, fighting a grimace from the pain in his wing and head. He felt Gordy and Poppy jump off, somehow sensing that he was hurt. Seto craned his neck around, casting a puzzled frown at Ethan, who had slowed to a stop and was crouching next to a rock, evidently trying to hide. But his white and light grey scales stood out too much.

"Seto! Guys, Seto's back."

Bodil came leaping over to Seto, explaining to him how "Baki is hurt and there's nobody that could heal him, besides you, and then my tail won't stop hurting and Ghost can hardly talk, and Nitram is fine because he escaped by Simon's foot is hurt, and Ant hasn't woken up yet and his stupid Celestial won't even let us come close, so you're the only one— And! I think Calamari is choking to death, and so is Sky and Ty and-"

"Bodil, slow down. Who's the most injured?"

Bodil bit his tongue when he automatically wanted to say 'Baki'. But he knew Ant was likely _dying, _so...

"Ant is."

"Alright, now-"

"Seto, who's this?" Jordan said suddenly, lifting his head away and staring at Ethan much like a dog would a cat.

"This is Ethan," Seto answered, and looked around. He quickly hopped away from Bodil, running over to Ant.

"Ethan? Wait, like _Ethan_?" Sky ended in a cough that rattled his whole body, but he halfway dragged himself out of the water to get a better look. "That's Ethan! Ty, Ty, look! Ethan!"

Ethan was huddling even closer to the rock, eyes nearly closed against the sun. He said nothing, but coiled closer in on himself when Ty stood, water streaming off his scales.

"Ethan?"

Seto ignored them and Breakfast (who was looking like he wanted to bite the sorcerer's head off), instead inspecting the horrible burn marks on Ant's side. He must have been _lying _in the fire. Seto shook his head, setting a paw on his side. Glowing purple suddenly sprouted from his fingers, and the burns melted away like water, turning into the normal, shining scales. Not a minute later, Ant stirred. "What...?"

Seto turned away, wading over to Baki and doing the same. "Who's next?"

Husky swam over, curling his tail around, which was also burnt. That healed, then Seto moved on to Sky and Calamari. Both complained of their throats, and Seto quickly healed them.

Ethan slowly slunk over to the water's edge, and said quietly, "Yeah, I'm Ethan."

"Dude," Sky said, "I thought you were _dead._ What happened to you?"

"I've been... around," Ethan said vaguely, and left it at that.

"Oh... Well, you look half-starved. What have you been eating?" This time it was Ty, who had not been hurt except for a slight cough, who asked.

Ethan just shrugged at that, and said, "I'm really sorry about this storm, guys. Next time I'll make sure it doesn't happen."

Seto looked around, then sat back on his haunches and decided that if anybody was hurt, they would come up to him. He could feel his energy already leaving him, making his headache even worse.

And suddenly: _"You're stressing yourself, wizard."_

Seto gave a relieved smile and murmured, "You're back. Still angry at me?"

_"Very angry. But I can put that aside for the moment... Are you okay?"_

"What, you're concerned now?"

_"I don't feel like falling out of the sky when we leave, so I have a right to be worried. Maybe you should take a nap while everyone gets situated."_

Seto shook his head silently, and healed Simon's foot.

_"Wiz- Seto, it's going to take a while for them to get back on their feet. everybody's hurt, and exhausted. Maybe you should suggest making camp here...?"_

"But I just helaed everybody," he said. "They're gonna feel good as new, and nobody will want to sit still."

_"You actually used THAT spell? Idiot, you don't have enough energy for it."_

"It's only lending them some of mine, don't worry. A few minutes' rest will do wonders," Seto whispered, "And besides, I'm fairly certain I can do that spell."

_"Yes, but not for an entire group of dragons... You tricked me, didn't you? You used that spell, so they'll want to keep going, and you will just hide your exhaustion..."_

"Yep," Seto said, and nodded slightly.

The spell he used would not only heal everybody, it would rejuvenate them. He was basically giving them energy. It would make him tired, of course, but he just wanted to leave this horrible place. So exhaustion was something he would just have to deal with. Because everybody else would want to leave, as soon as everything was sorted.

_"Sometimes, wizard, I really hate you."_

"I knew that already."

* * *

**Chimeras = Huge firestorms that burn fireproof dragons. Makes perfect sense. This isn't the last you'll see of them, don't worry.**

**Debating on whether to keep Ethan with the group, or not. You guys tell me, alright? I wasn't entirely happy with this chapter, but that might be the stress from traveling getting to me.**

**And sorry for not updating yesterday, I was visiting family. But I got a really cool story idea, just thinking if I should post it or not. Again, tell me if I should. It might take some time, getting the plot situated, but I have characters and I'm ready to post the first chapter of it, if any of you guys are interested... Maybe I will, maybe I won't. You tell me.**

**Hope you enjoyed, guys. Thanks for all the support, and everything. I love you all. You're the best readers, in the world. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Stay awesome.**

**-Cold**


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